Zenith League
by Kiwami no Sengoku
Summary: A massive, normal and utterly dull tournament where the best Trainers compete for eternal glory. The perfect place for dark ambitions to grow unhindered, unscrutinized, unchallenged. What would happen should those suppressed ambitions be unleashed? Simple: The changing of the world. Although, one can't help but wonder, is it for better... or worse? OC APPLICATION FORM INSIDE.
1. OC Form, Example and Rules

**Hello there, people of fanfiction. Tendou Souji here. As you can see from the title of this fic, it's going to be a tournament fic. I know there are lot of great tournament fics out there, but I think I'll give it a shot. They'll be some guidelines but not as strict as my other story. I will start on this in December as I have exams like any other being in this world. Here's the form.**

**Name: Full name**

**Age: **

**Gender:**

**Appearance: **

**Clothing(casual): I'm a sucker when it comes to clothes. Try and be descriptive of your OC's casual attire. If you give me just a simple description, it's fine. I can always describe them for you.**

**Clothing(formal):**

**Home town:**

**Personality: Be as detailed as possible. I will not accept short and brief descriptions. **

**History: Your OC's past.**

**Accomplishments: **

**Family:**

**Pokemon: There is no limit regarding the Isshu Pokemon. I will not accept Legendaries. Do not make your OC's team too powerful. I can only have a few of those so you better hurry up and submit your OC. Nicknames are fine with me. Include their gender as well.**

**Favoured: Try and include their personalities and history with your OC. Their list of attacks are also welcomed. You can put in more than 4 moves but less than 9. **

**Less favoured: **

**Battle style: **

**Battle cry:**

**Opinions on Seishirou:  
**

**Other: These are simple yet irrelevant facts about your OC.**

* * *

**To avoid confusing people with the terms, here's an example of my OC.**

**Name: Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke**

**Age: 19**

**Gender: Male**

**Appearance: Shoulder-length jet-black hair which is brushed down and parts at the middle, sapphire eyes(left iris is more faded than the right), 6'2" in height, peach-coloured skin, slightly toned muscles.**

**Clothing(casual): A white collared-up shirt under a dual-coloured vest; white with three black pentagrams at the bottom hem of his jacket on the left side with contrasting colours on the right. He also donnes on a long necklace with the symbol of an inverted pentagram, two fingerless gloves; a black one on his left hand and a white one on his other hand, a pair of black slacks with two white belts criss-crossing each other around his lower abdomen and a pair of midnight-blue sneakers with a logo of a silver Pokeball emblazoned on each sneaker.**

**Clothing(formal): A midnight-blue jacket, black dress shirt with a turn-down collar, white bow tie, midnight-blue slacks and black leather shoes.  
**

**Home town: Castelia City, Unova**

**Personality: He is a mysterious and apathetic soul. He does not give people direct answers but instead responds in a vague and ambiguous tone. As he doesn't really care what people think of him, he is not easily riled up. He is also quite respectful towards his opponents but does not acknowledge any sort of rivalry. He has a tendency to act rather arrogant but he has the skills to back it up. He is a very good cook, often making delicious and nutritionous food for his Pokemon.**

**History: His memories for the first seven years of his life are non-existent. He cannot remember his parents' faces nor does he remember where he was born. All he could remember was an image of a large black dragon-like Pokemon. He was taken in by a kindly old woman and they lived together in a temple on a mountain outside Castelia City. Three years later, he left the temple and journeyed to Kanto to become a Pokemon Trainer. **

**He performed considerably well in the Pokemon Leagues but by the time he reached Sinnoh, he became slightly dillusional on his goals. Due to this, he opted to skip the Sinnoh League and decided to put his Pokemon career on hold. He returned home and immersed himself in spiritual and occult studies, heightening his spiritual energy in the process. This granted him some extraordinary abilities from sensing aura signatures to creating barriers.****  
**

**Accomplishments: Won the Kanto League, finished 3rd in the Johto League and was the runner-up in the Hoenn League. He also conquered the Kanto Battle Frontier.  
**

**Family: Grandmother(adoptive), younger brother(adoptive)**

**Pokemon:**

**Favoured:**

**Pikachu(Caedes 'Umbra' Telum)- Levitas was captured near Pallet Town. He has a faint diagonal scar between his eyes, courtesy of the previous 'captain'. Originally, he was very friendly and eager to make friends with other Pokemon. When the mantle of 'captain' was passed on to him, the Pikachu started to become more serious and would only express his friendliness in a subtle tone. He has accepted the darkness within his heart, granting him the ability to use Dark-based attacks with relative ease. His eyes are permanently stained amber as a result. An all-rounder and the strongest member of the team. Moves include Pursuit, Extremespeed, Shadow Ball, Night Slash, Thunderbolt, Wild Bolt, Volt Tackle and Light Screen.**

**Zoroark(Xander Atra)- Seishirou received Xander as a Pokemon Egg. He is the most mysterious member of the group. His eyes are always half-closed and he always has a smile on his face. When in battle, he is almost effortless in his display. He was able to win many major battles without fighting at full strength. He is a bit of a sadist but not to the extent that he would torture someone. Like Levitas, he has accepted the darkness within his heart, resulting in his amber-coloured eyes. The 'vice-captain' and closest friend of Levitas. Moves include Faint Attack, Night Burst, Trickery, Night Slash, Calm Mind, Claw Sharpen, Punishment and Extremespeed.**

**Shiny Charmander(Ryujin Kamikaze)- Seishirou took Ryujin under his wing as per an old friend's dying wish. Though it may seem weak, Ryujin has a lot of experience. In fact, Ryujin should have evolved into a Charizard. However, he blatantly refused to do so as he wanted to test his own limits. He wears a bracelet made from Everstone to halt his evolution. He is by far the most aggresive of the group when it comes to battle styles. His battle style is akin to a berserker. While attacking his opponent, he would continually build up on his stats with moves like Swords Dance and Agility. Hopes to find an opponent that can force him to destroy his Everstone bracelet. Including the two before, his moves are Purgatory, Flame Burst, Nitro Charge, Flamethrower and Flare Blitz.**

**Sceptile(Shinobu Verde)- Seishirou saved him from a Team Magma raid when he was just a Treecko. The loner of the group but actually cares for his team mates. His durability is what makes him scary. He's able to withstand multiple high-damaging attacks like Hyper Beam and Giga Impact and still be able to pull off a win. A jack-of-all-trades like Levitas, but to a lesser extent. Always bows to his opponents as a sign of respect. Moves include Solar Beam, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Night Slash, Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm, Light Screen and Agility.**

**Sazandora(Exacolt)- Born in the Dragon's Den alongside Cynthia's Garchomp. When he was a Monozu, he would prefer to laze about and gaze into the sky instead of having mock battles with the others, causing him to be shunned by all except Cynthia's Garchomp. He left the Dragon's Den on his own, managing to evolve into a powerful Sazandora in just one year. Offered to become Seishirou's Pokemon as long as Seishirou remains interesting. An unparalleled strategist. Able to recognize his opponents' strengths and weaknesses and formulate counter-strategies on the spot. When pushed into a corner, he abandons all strategy to surprise and overwhelm his opponents with aggressive, powerful and controlled attacks. Moves include Claw Sharpen, DragonBreath, Dragon Claw, Draco Meteor, Twister, Protect, Shadow Claw and Aerial Ace.  
**

**Buizel(Aqua Liquidus): She was facing off against a Luxray and losing badly. She was just about to give up before Seishirou happened to past by and offered the Buizel words of encouragement. Feeling completely reinvigorated, Buizel fought hard and ended up defeating the Luxray. She tends to act rather cocky but has the skills to back it up. Moves include Aqua Jet, Ice Punch, Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Sonic Boom, Whirlpool, Aqua Tail and Boling Water.  
**

**Less favoured: **

**Infernape, Espeon(Yue), Gardevoir, Ivysaur, Ononokusu, Pidgeot(Ventus), Staraptor(Sora), Glaceon, Luxray, Meowth(Scout), Gabite(Chopper), Jalorda, Absol(Omen), Empoleon  
**

**Battle style: Varies to suit his Pokemon's personal style(as explained above). Also trains his Pokemon to become all-rounders with few weaknesses.**

**Battle cry: "Scar them,-" , "Raze them to the ground,-" , "Show them your will,-"  
**

**Other: He smokes using a 'kiseru' during his free time. He also enjoys watching a full moon.**

* * *

**Review rules(only for anonymous readers):-**

**- Do not fill the story's review section with questions on when I shall be updating the story.**

**- If you have questions, include them with your review and I'll answer them the following chapter.**

**- If you want to put in an OC, please read the form first before writing your OC and please use this chapter to post your OC. I don't want a scenario where someone has reviewed Chapter 3 and all I see is an OC application.**

**- I do not want multiple reviews on one chapter by the same person. If that happens, I'll delete the reviews until there is only one review from said person.**

- **I would prefer that you do not make the review section a battlefield in a sense that you argue with each other about my story. Oh, flames will be deleted. I can take constructive criticism but I do not tolerate flames.  
**

**P.S. The second and third rule also applies to members of the site.**

* * *

**That is all. Hope this form is appealing enough. Send them by PM or review.(Preferably by PM so that I may ask questions)**

**Sayonara.**


	2. Chapter I : Converging Paths

**The opening chapter is here.**

**There will not be any OCs yet so just bear with me for awhile.**

**For your info, Ash will be a bit more mature than his canon counterpart since I am not sure I can 100% describe the latter.**

**The English terms of Generation V are slowly being revealed so I'll be using them in this story. For example, Isshu shall now be called Unova.**

**Happy reading.**

* * *

In this world there are many strange things. However, no matter how strange or bizarre a sight may be, if there is no one there, if there is no one to see it, if people are not involved, then it is simply a phenomenon. Just something that happens. That is because in this world, people are the strangest and most mysterious beings.

One such being was currently on a journey on board a cruise ship towards his fated destination: Caelum City. The city was widely known as 'The City of Heavens', hence the term 'Caelum'. It was also going to be the site for the inaugural Zenith League to take place. The staging of the tournament was announced earlier in the year by the PLO, otherwise known as Pokemon League Organization. Simply put, it was a tournament where the best Trainers in the world would compete for the right to bask in eternal supremacy and glory.

The mysterious being leaned against the railing of the upper deck of the cruise ship and sighed. Boredly, he placed some tobacco leaves into the bowl of his exotic-looking pipe and lighted it up. He then enclosed the mouth piece with his lips, sucked and blew a few rings of smoke into the air. Since there were some people on the upper deck, the mysterious being's action had the effect of glares being sent his way. If the crowd thought that their glares would make the teen stop his rude display, they thought wrong. The object of their displeasure simply continued smoking whilst giving them an amused yet nonchalant gaze. The crowd once again sent him a wave of glares before dispersing. Shaking his head in amusement, the mysterious being turned around and faced the rising sun. As he watched the eye of heaven slowly reveal itself to the world, he thought of the event that led him to where he was now.

* * *

_The apathetic teen, dressed in his casual robes which design was inspired by _sakura_ petals, sat crossed-leg on the verandah of his temple-like house with his trusty pipe in his right hand and a plate of fish balls within arm's length to his left. Technically, it was his adoptive grandmother's home but as she was absent most of time, he had come to regard the house, which was situated on top of a mountain near Castelia City, as his own. He did not bother to question his grandmother's choice for building a house on top of a mountain as he preferred the calm and serene atmosphere compared to the hustle and bustle of city life. The mysterious being took a puff of his pipe and gazed at the setting sun. He did this almost every day as it would always fill him with a sense of calmness. However, on this specific day, his peace was short-lived as he heard a squawk in the distance._

_His sights promptly switched from the sun to the source of the squawk. There was speck in the distance and it was getting bigger and closer towards him. He narrowed his eyes and found out that the speck was a Flying-type Pokemon; a Pidgey, to be exact. The teen calmly placed his pipe on an ashtray and held out his right arm. Sooner than later, the Pidgey reached its destination and perched itself on the teen's right forearm. He promptly retracted his arm, thus bringing the Pidgey closer to him. The teen noticed right away that the Pidgey had an envelope in its beak. Said Pidgey dropped the envelope into his right hand when he held it out. As a reward, the apathetic teen picked up a fish ball and held it in front of the Pidgey; it grabbed the food with its beak before flying off the teen's forearm._

_With the Pidgey gone, the teen examined the envelope he had received. He could somewhat tell that this was not any ordinary envelope. The front of the envelope was blank so he flipped it to the other side and lo and behold, he found himself staring at the seal of the Pokemon League Organization. Normally, any other normal person would get all head over heels over receiving a letter from the PLO but not him. He simply opened the envelope, took out the letter and slowly skimmed through it. He read:_

**_Dear Mr. Seishirou Syuusuke,_**

**_Hello and a very good evening to you, Mr. Syuusuke. My name is Charles Goodshow whom you may remember from back when you were still active in the Pokemon battling circuit. As you may already know, the Zenith League shall be commencing soon and I would like to cordially invite you to participate in this inaugural tournament. I understand if you are unwilling but I also know that your body is probably aching to feel the rush of battle once again after so many years off the scene. The same goes to your Pokemon as well. Aside from the Champions, Elite Fours and Gym Leaders, you are one of the people whom I regard with the utmost respect. I personally think that a veteran such as yourself would be just the spark that the Pokemon battling circuit needs. Should you accept, just give me a call and I shall provide the details. I would have asked you to send in your reply via the messenger Pidgey but she would have probably left by now. My humblest apology._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Charles Goodshow_**

_If there was one thing the mysterious teen who went by the name of Seishirou Syuusuke disliked about the president of the PLO, it was his dry sense of humour. However, the man was pleasant enough in Seishirou's opinion. He re-read the letter a couple of times before folding it up and tucking it into the sleeve of his robe. The black-haired boy then thought long and hard about whether or not he should accept Mr. Goodshow's invitation. He had once enjoyed battling and worked hard to shape his Pokemon into a team capable of achieving victory. However, after winning the Sinnoh League five years ago, his enthusiasm began to wane. It was not just him as his Pokemon shared his feelings as well, especially Noctis. Even though they finished in the Top 3 in the Johto and Hoenn Leagues, Seishirou completely lost his drive and Noctis chose to retire from battling. The latter, who was Seishirou's starter Pokemon and best friend, was now travelling the regions but would always drop by from time to time._

_"After a five-year absence, is it really worth it if I return to battling once again?" he asked himself. "Can I rediscover my enthusiasm for it? What of my Pokemon? Do they feel the same way as well?"_

_The enigmatic teen finally stood up after debating with himself for a good thirty minutes. He dusted himself and swept a hand through his hair before once again settling his gaze upon the setting sun._

_"Caedes," Seishirou called out._

_On cue, a small figure emerged from the shadows. _"Yes, Seishirou?"

_Seishirou gazed at the figure before he informed it, "A reappearance is on the cards. Inform the others."_

"Understood"_ was all that the figure replied as it vanished into the shadows._

_With the figure gone, Seishirou made his way towards the telephone inside the house. It was a rather old-fashioned phone unlike those found at Pokemon Centres but it was adequate enough. He picked up the receiver, dialed Mr. Goodshow's number and hovered the receiver near his right ear._

_"Hello, this is Charles Goodshow," a voice on the other line introduced itself. "May I know who it is that I am speaking to?"_

_"This is Seishirou Syuusuke," he announced. "Mr. Goodshow..., I accept your invitation."_

* * *

Seishirou stared at the folded letter in his left hand as he held it over the railing. He then looked at the sun which had all but revealed itself the world. Its yellow rays were a welcomed sight to Seishirou as the full beauty of the sea was now displayed before his eyes. The sea sparkled with immense beauty that rivaled those of the stars at night.

_"You should not stare at the sun for very long,"_ a voice half-heartedly chided Seishirou. _"Unless you would not mind having damaged retinas, I suggest that you turn your attention elsewhere."_

Seishirou looked down towards the source of the voice which turned out to be his Pikachu, Caedes. The male Pikachu was like any other Pikachu, save for a diagonal scar in between his eyes. Speaking of eyes, Caedes' were amber in colour. They were rather intimidating to say the least. However, the intimidation factor of his eyes plus his strict personality helped keep the other members of the team in line. For that, Seishirou was grateful. Noctis was right in choosing Caedes as his successor, even though the latter was rather unwilling at first. Nevertheless, Caedes accepted it and gradually grew into his position as captain.

"I appreciate your concern, Caedes," Seishirou said earnestly.

The Mouse Pokemon responded by offering a faint smile and folding his arms over his chest in a 'casually guarded' pose he had picked over the years.

_"Once you're captain, you mustn't let your guard down, even for a second" _was Caedes' usual reply when his opponents or teammates question him about it.

Back to Seishirou, he was once again staring at the folded letter in his left hand. He then channelled a bit of his aura into the folded piece of paper. On cue, the letter folded itself into a paper crane before flying off Seishirou's hand. The enigmatic teen watched as it flew away into the distance. He deftly turned around and walked towards the main deck on the cruise ship, taking a puff of his pipe in the process. Caedes simply followed him without a word.

* * *

_"He did it, ladies and gentlemen!" the commentator exclaimed with vigour. "Ash Ketchum has won the Unova League! He is officially the youngest Trainer ever to win this tournament! Give him a round of applause!"_

_On cue, the spectators stood up and applauded the victor. However, Ash Ketchum did not acknowledge them as his whole body suddenly became rigid. He could not believe it. After enduring lots of disappointment and heartbreak, he had finally won a Pokemon League. He honestly did not know how to react. Should he jump up and down with joy? Should he act cool and keep his emotions in check? Ash honestly did not know. Fortunately, his moment of indecisiveness was cut short when something barreled into his chest, thus knocking him down onto his back._

_Once he had regained his breath, he craned his neck to give the perpetrator a piece of mind but stopped when he noticed that it was just his Pikachu. The Mouse Pokemon looked utterly exhausted and his body was covered with bruises and scratches. Despite all this, Pikachu still managed to crack a smile at Ash. Ash smiled at his faithful companion before slowly standing up while cradling Pikachu close to his chest. The Electric-type happily nuzzled against his Trainer's chest, expressing his joyfulness towards the brown-eyed boy. Ash in turn hugged Pikachu, expressing his gratitude towards the Mouse Pokemon. He then looked up and finally noticed that the spectators, including Iris, Cilan, Professor Oak and his mum, were giving him a standing ovation. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he punched the air triumphantly. He had finally achieved his dream. Ash promptly closed his eyes, relief flooding his entire body._

* * *

As he lifted his eyelids, he was greeted by an entirely different scenery. He was not in a stadium full of passionate spectators. Instead, he was just on a bed in a luxurious cabin on a cruise ship. Ash blinked once, twice and thrice before shifting his body into a sitting position. A silent yawn escaped his lips as he tiredly rubbed his eyes.

"Guess it was just dream," he said in realization. "Still, it was kinda nice to live in the moment, even if it was all in my head."

The black-haired boy felt something snuggle against his side. He did not need to look down as he knew that it was Pikachu but he did anyway. Ash noticed that Pikachu had a peaceful expression on display as if the Electric-type did not have a care in the world. Ash gently lifted Pikachu and affectionately rubbed the Mouse Pokemon's right cheek with his own, eliciting soft _'Cha' _from Pikachu's lips.

"Did you sleep well, Pikachu?" he asked his best friend softly.

Pikachu licked the bridge of Ash's nose and replied_, "Of course. As long as you're here, I always get a good night's sleep."_

Ash chuckled happily. "Thanks, buddy."

_"You're welcome" _was Pikachu's short but sweet response.

The sweet moment between Trainer and Pokemon was interrupted when the pair heard a voice mumbling coherently about plants and tea. They both turned to the source of the mumbling which turned out to be their travelling companion, Cilan, who was talking in his sleep again. Ash and Pikachu chuckled silently at their eccentric friend. Ash then placed Pikachu back onto the bed before getting off it himself.

"I'm gonna take a bath and then we'll do a little sight-seeing before waking Cilan up for breakfast," Ash informed Pikachu of their morning routine. "Get the plan?"

Pikachu flashed Ash a 'peace' sign, signifying that he understood the plan.

Ash nodded at his buddy and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and a towel before entering the bathroom to freshen up. After a nice warm bath, Ash brushed his teeth before putting on his usual travelling attire. As he zipped up his jacket and adjusted his cap, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Ash saw a boy wearing a grey shirt under a short-sleeved jacket; dark blue on the upper half and light blue on the lower half, grey cargo pants and sneakers with red and black as their primary colours. The boy also donned fingerless red gloves and a cap with black, red and white accents. However, Ash decided that he liked the boy's eyes best. They were light brown in colour.

The black-haired boy sighed. He thought of his journey in the Unova region and it was anything but dull. The ever-changing terrain and climate of the region plus dealing with an evil organization were extremely taxing on his body. He had only been in the region for a month and already thoughts of giving up surfaced within his mind. He would have given up if it were not for Iris and Cilan. Though Ash was a little sad that Iris could not accompany him and Cilan to Caelum City, he understood as she needed to look after the Opelucid City Gym while Drayden was away on business. Ash had already gathered all eight badges to compete in the Unova League but was disappointed to learn that it would not take place for another two months. Coincidentally, he had received an invitation to compete in the Zenith League so all thoughts of disappointment were erased then and there. Also, he had not been bothered by the Rocket Trio ever since he stopped Team Plasma so he was kind of grateful to them.

Ash honestly did not know what to think of Team Plasma. Unlike the other organizations he had faced in the past, Team Plasma's goal was to separate humans and Pokemon, thus creating a black and white world. Technically, they were not hurting Pokemon and just wanted them to be free. Team Plasma's leader, N, really placed Ash in a state of dilemma. N was not a typical megalomaniac like Giovanni or Cyrus. The green-eyed man truly cared for his Pokemon as do they care for him. He had never even once used the terms 'slaves' or 'tools' but instead referred to them as 'friends'. Ash was so confused. He did not how to act back then. However, he resolved to meet N once again to question him more about his ideals. It was lucky that Ash did not abandon his plan for if he did, he would have never discovered the truth behind Team Plasma's formation.

The peak of N's castle. That place shall be forever burnt into Ash's memory for as long as lived. It was the site where Reshiram and Zekrom had their fated duel. Ash was surprised that he had managed to capture Zekrom but he was not given a moment to enjoy it as N immediately challenged him to a battle. The battle was intense but Zekrom barely managed to defeat its counterpart. N did not seem relatively disappointed in the outcome of the battle but merely accepted it. The event that succeeded the battle absolutely angered Ash to the very core. Ghetsis, N's _**father**, _proclaimed that he had just been using N so that at the end of the day, only he would have Pokemon and dominate the region. Though N remained apathetic, Ash saw hurt and betrayal in the green-haired man eyes. Ash truly wanted to beat up Ghetsis right there but his Pokemon were far too injured to even move a muscle. Luckily, the Unova Champion arrived and defeated Ghetsis in a hard-fought battle. With Ghetsis arrested, Alder was kind enough to allow N to keep his freedom. Ash did not know what N was thinking but he looked a bit grateful.

The two of them were eventually left alone. Ash requested that Iris and Cilan leave him so that he may talk to N. Being the good friends that they were, they honoured Ash's wish and left him alone with N. The conversation that they had would be forever engraved in his heart.

* * *

_"N..., are you okay?" Ash asked out of concern._

_The green-haired man kept his head down and remained silent. For a second, Ash thought that the trauma of having your own father speak to you in such a grotesque manner might have been to much for N to handle. Just as Ash was about to close the distance between them, he was stopped when N's soft and melodic voice broke the silence that hung over them._

_"There's something I want to tell you... it's about when we first met in Accumula Town," N began. "What I heard your Pokemon say really shocked me... because they said that they loved you and wanted to be with you." His eyes drifted to the side as he continued, "I could not understand it. There were actually Pokemon in the world that loved humans. I had never met any Pokemon like that before... and the more I continued on my journey, my beliefs started to falter. All I met were people and Pokemon putting their lives on the line for each other." N then found the ground more interesting to look at but he still resumed, "In order to make sure exactly what I was believing in, I wanted to fight you..., to face each other like the heroes we both were chosen to be, that's what I wished for... but I who only understood Pokémon..., no, I who did not even understand Pokemon..." Finally, his emerald eyes meet Ash's brown ones as N said, "There was no way I could beat you, who was blessed and surrounded with many Pokemon."_

_"Shut up, N!" Ash screamed at the top of his voice. Ash saw that N's eyes widen a fraction at Ash's outburst. Ash did not even apologize as he broke eye contact with N and continued stutteringly, "Your such... an idiot, N. H-How could you disregard the feelings... of your Pokemon like that? How could you... think like that just... because **Ghetsis **said those hurtful words to you?" Ash was so frustrated with N that tears started to trickle down his cheeks but he still managed to choke out, "I may not be able to... understand Pokemon like you do... b-but I know that they l-love you with all their hearts. T-They want to be with you, N. How can you be so... selfish and say that they do not deserve you? They will not settle for anyone but you! Just stop burdening yourself with all this guilt and open your eyes! J-Just s-stop it, N."_

_N allowed a small smile to grace his features. "Thank you, Ash. I really appreciate that," N thanked Ash. N added, "Even the Champion had it in his heart to forgive me... but in the end, I am the one that shall decide which path I will walk on."_

_With resolve firmly sewn into his heart, N turned around and faced the opening in the wall than Reshiram had created when it flew in. He then held up a Poke Ball which promptly snapped open. The white light it released subsequently materialized into the Vast White Pokemon, Reshiram. It gave out a melodic cry upon its release._

_Smiling at the legendary Pokemon, N turned around to face Ash yet again. The black-haired boy froze as their eyes locked. Ash no longer saw eyes filled with indicisiveness but instead saw eyes full of determination._

_The emerald-eyed man closed his eyes before he exclaimed, "Ash! You said that you had a dream... That dream... Make it come true! Wonderful dreams and ideals give you the power to change the world! I believe that you can do it if anyone can!" With that said, he leaped onto Reshiram's back before giving Ash, who had closed the distance between them until they were about ten feet apart, a parting smile. "Well then..., farewell and good luck."_

_Ash wanted to stop N but ultimately decided against it. Instead, he simply watched as Reshiram - with N on its back - flew into the distance until it became nothing more than a small speck in the sky. The brown-eyed boy cupped his face with both his hands and exhaled tiredly. Ash then unclipped Zekrom's Master Ball and released the Deep Black Pokemon. The teen secretly wondered how N managed to capture a Legendary Pokemon such as Reshiram with only a Poke Ball. It was rather unfair in Ash's opinion. However, he was not given any time to ponder about it as Zekrom, unlike its counterpart, gave out a demonic cry that sent chills down Ash's spine._

_"Um..." Ash began uncomfortably as Zekrom's demonic red eyes were locked with his, "y-you're free. I've been through a lot and... I'm not sure that I'm in the right state of mind to own a legendary Pokemon but... I'm glad that we saved the world again like we did in Eindoak Town. I... um... hope that we can work together again, I really do." When Zekrom floated closer towards Ash, he took a step back in fear, thinking that he may have angered Zekrom. He stammered, "E-E-Er..., I'm sorry if you are upset but if you go with me, then who will..., you know, look after the region? Reshiram is away with N so... I'm afraid that you have do your job alone for... I don't know how long Reshiram will be a-away but p-p-please don't eat me...!"_

_Zekrom did not look the slightest bit amused at Ash's pathetic pleading as the Deep Black Pokemon kept on floating closer and closer towards Ash until it practically towered over him. It then bent down and inched its face closer towards Ash. Zekrom noticed that even though the human before it was absolutely terrified, the boy still tried to act brave by maintaining eye contact with it. The Deep Black Pokemon was impressed, albeit slightly. It slightly opened its maw and began to concentrate a tiny fraction of its energy into a tiny ball, noticing that the human had closed his eyes and was now shaking uncontrollably. The legendary Pokemon resisted the urge to roll its eyes. If the boy was afraid of its demonic appearance, then he should put the blame on Arceus. Back to business, Zekrom took a deep breath and slowly dispersed the energy in the tiny ball into sparkles of corrupted light._

_Ash expected himself to be blown to smithereens when he saw Zekrom charging up a miniature version of Energy Ball. However, he certainly did not expect to be showered with sparkles of corrupted light. The sparkles were absorbed into his body, making it glow a bright purple before slowly dimming down. Ash examined his body, searching for any changes that it might have undergone. He found none. Actually, he felt great as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders._

"Consider it... a gift, Chosen One. I've grown quite fond of you and hope to battle alongside you in the near future," _a voice echoed in his mind._

_Ash did a double take. "W-What was that?" he stammered. "Is it just me or did I just hear Zekrom's voice in my head?"_

_The black-haired boy wanted to seek some confirmation from Zekrom but by the time Ash glanced up, the Deep Black Pokemon was gone._

* * *

Ash was shattered out of his reminiscence by the banging of the bathroom door. He calmly checked the time with his Poketch and found out it was seven o' clock in the morning. He had spent close to an hour in the bathroom. The brown-eyed boy sighed. He guessed that he would be facing a very ticked off Pikachu. When he opened the door, his guess was proven correct. The first thing that greeted his sights when he stepped out of the bathroom was Pikachu who glared at Ash whilst tapping his foot impatiently. If looks could kill, Ash would be dead ten times over.

_"What took you so long?" _Pikachu hissed. _"Do you have any idea how boring and torturous it is to hear Cilan mumble about the same stuff again and again?" _To emphasize his annoyance, Pikachu emitted sparks from his cheeks. _"If I had to spend another hour with him, I would've gone crazy and give a wake-up call he'd never forget. What do you have to say for yourself?"_

Ash fixed Pikachu with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, buddy," Ash apologized. "It's just... I'm wondering how N is doing. Has he found his purpose in this world? Is he still travelling the regions? Or has he returned to Unova? I just want to know that he's okay."

Pikachu's sparks effectively died down at the mention of the green-haired man's name. The Mouse Pokemon knew how Ash felt about N as Pikachu felt the same way. When they first crossed paths with N, Pikachu immediately took a liking towards the man. He was pleasant and cared for Pokemon just as much as Ash does. When Pikachu found out that N was Team Plasma's leader, Pikachu found it extremely hard to hate him. Everytime Ash and N battled, win or lose, N would release the Pokemon he had used back into the wild. Pikachu's doubts about N's sincerity were erased when N's Zoroark told him about N's upbringing. It saddened Pikachu greatly that N was brought up just for the sake of summoning Reshiram. N did not have the oppurtunity to live a carefree life like Ash or make friends with his own kind.

Pikachu knew that Ash's enthusiasm was going downhill so he leaped onto Ash's shoulders and gave him a lick on the cheek. _"Don't worry, Ash," _Pikachu assured his Trainer. _"I'm sure that N is fine. He has his Pokemon with him. He'll break out of his shell soon, I'm sure of it."_

Ash smiled. "You always know how to cheer me up, buddy. Thanks."

Pikachu smugly replied, _"It's what I do best."_

The pair of Trainer and Pokemon chuckled in unison. Noticing that Cilan was still asleep, Ash slowly tip-toed to the cabin door, opened it, exited the cabin and slowly closed the door as to not awaken Cilan. Should Cilan wake up before they got back, Ash already left him a note stating that he and Pikachu were out. With that taken care of, Ash and Pikachu began exploring the cruise ship.

* * *

The cruise ship, which went by the name of S.S. Supremacy, was primarily divided into five sections which displayed the different cultures of the five main regions: Kanto; Johto; Hoenn; Sinnoh and Unova. The plan was initiated last year to give the passengers a chance to experience the world's different cultures in just one spot. Ash was extremely impressed by the architecture of the cruise ship. He had never been on one that was so traditional and yet modern at the same time. Ash liked the Kanto section best; it was like he never even left home.

Ash and Pikachu gradually found their way to the main deck. It was not like anything he had expected. There was a Lugia-shaped swimming pool in the middle which was surrounded by a beautiful garden. There were so many flowers ranging from roses to morning glories. Ash also spotted a grass battlefield where a Zoroark and a Floatzel were duking it out. Though Ash had matured greatly ever since the events in the Unova region, he was still a sucker for battles as he made his over to the battle. He was so transfixed by the battle that he did not notice that he was about to fall into the swimming pool. He would have if it had not been for a certain enigma who pulled on Ash's collar, thus snapping him out of his reverie.

"Though I enjoy a bit of amusement every now and again," the enigma who stopped Ash stated, "I think that a shock from your Pikachu was not what the people in the pool signed up for, don't you think?"

Ash looked down and noticed that he was only a step away from falling into the pool together with Pikachu who would have probably released a Thunderbolt in surprise and therefore shocked the people in the pool. As he did not to be responsible for any loss of life, Ash slowly retreated until he was a good ten feet away from the pool's edge.

The brown-eyed youth scratched his head sheepishly before turning around to face his 'saviour'. "Hehe, sorry for troubling you like that," Ash apologized sincerely.

"I would much prefer that the atmosphere remains calm and serene," the enigma said. "The last thing I want is people making a fuss about a complacent soul causing the deaths of a dozen people."

Ash chuckled nervously before setting his sights on the person in front of him. The enigma had wavy, cropped, neck-length black hair with a fringe that stopped just above his eyes with longer bangs at each side of his roundish face, sapphire eyes with the left iris more faded than the right, lightly tanned skin and was taller than Ash by about four inches. He was wearing a white collared-up shirt under a dual-coloured vest - white with three black pentagrams at the bottom hem of his jacket on the left side with contrasting colours on the right. He also donned a long necklace with the symbol of an inverted pentagram, two fingerless gloves - a black one on his left hand and a white one on his other hand - a pair of black slacks with two white belts criss-crossing each other around his lower abdomen and a pair of midnight-blue sneakers with a logo of a silver Pokeball emblazoned on each sneaker.

Besides deciding that the person in front of him had very cool clothes, Ash also noticed that there was a Pikachu leaning against the railing right beside the enigma.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash alerted his best friend. "Why don't you go have a talk with that Pikachu right there? It's been awhile since you last saw a member of your kin."

_"Sure thing, Ash," _Pikachu agreed as he leaped off Ash's shoulders and made his way to the other Pikachu.

* * *

_"Hi, my name's Pikachu," _Pikachu introduced himself. _"What's yours?_

_"How original," _the scarred Pikachu stated in a sarcastic tone.

_"Huh?" _Pikachu mouthed in confusion.

The scarred and obviously older Pikachu uncrossed his arms and lifted his eyelids, displaying his amber eyes to the younger Pikachu. Needless to saw, Ash's Pikachu was rather frightened by them.

_"Forget it," _the older and slightly taller Pikachu suggested. _"My name is Caedes. Caedes 'Umbra' Telum. Pleasure to meet you, kid."_

Pikachu's left eye twitched a little. _"What d'ya mean by that? You're only taller than me by a few centimetres. What right do you have to call me 'kid'?" _he snapped.

_"It was just a figure of speech, kid," _Caedes countered calmly. _"Would you rather have me call you 'Pikachu' seeing as I am a Pikachu as well?"_

_"Oh..., um..." _Pikachu stammered, _"I'm sorry for raising my voice against you. I hope there are no hard feelings."_

Caedes waved a paw dismissively. _"As if I would get angry at you for such a petty thing. There is absolutely no need for you to apologize, kid."_

Though Pikachu understood that Caedes calling him 'kid' was just a figure of speech, it was still pretty annoying. _"Could you... um..." _he began_, "please stop calling me 'kid'? I'm not angry... it's just that the term makes me feel rather uncomfortable."_

Caedes casually folded his arms against his chest and leaned against the railing. Before closing his eyes, Caedes replied_, "Unless you can convince your Trainer to give you a new name, I shall continue to refer to you by that term."_

Pikachu wanted to protest but by the time Caedes closed his eyes, Pikachu knew that the conversation was over.

* * *

If Pikachu thought he had it bad, Ash would have begged to differ. He had it worse.

"Do you have a name?" the sapphire-eyed teen asked.

"Huh?" Ash mouthed in confusion.

The enigma repeated, "I asked you for your name."

Realization dawned upon Ash. "Oh..., my name is Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum."

"Hmm..., 'Ketchum' would not happen to be a pun on the cliched motto, 'Gotta Catch em' All', would it?" the older teen guessed knowingly.

Ash's eyes widened as he stammered, "H-Huh? How did you know that?"

The mysterious youth simply ignored Ash's inquiry. Instead, he in turn inquired, "What about your birthday?"

Ash took his time to answer the teen's next question. He thought of the date of his birthday which was the 22nd of May. He did not sense anything wrong with the date. At least his birthday did not fall on the 1st of April. That would have been embarassing.

"The 22nd of May," Ash answered firmly.

"Hehehehe," the normally apathetic teen chuckled softly.

Ash tilted his head in confusion before snapping, "Hey! What is wrong about the 22nd of May?"

"You are such an amusing soul," the object of Ash's displeasure stated. "I have never met someone who would simply give away their name and birthday date to a complete stranger. I never thought that those type of people even existed."

Ash scratched his head in frustration. "But didn't you ask for them?"

The enigmatic teen elaborated, "By letting someone know your name, you are giving them something akin to the ability to take hold of your soul. By letting them know the day you were born, you are giving them the ability to see your past and your future, plus the ability to direct your life."

"Ooooookay," Ash played along, still confused.

"Would you like to know my name?" the sapphire-eyed boy offered.

"Er..., sure," Ash hesitantly confirmed.

"My name is Zephyr," 'Zephyr' said.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Zep-"

"Though it is only an alias," 'Zephyr' added as an afterthought.

"Hey! That's not fair at all," Ash retorted.

'Zephyr', whose real name was actually Seishirou, smiled and suggested, "Calm yourself. There is no use in you getting angry over such a trivial matter. You shall find out about my true identity in the Zenith League." Before he walked away from Ash, he simply advised, "Until then, stay patient. It may help you in the long run." With nothing left to say, Seishirou disappeared from Ash's sights.

The scarred Pikachu, Caedes, promptly detached himself from the railing and obediently followed after his Trainer.

Ash simply watched as the enigmatic person departed and disappeared amongst the crowd. He then felt a tug of his pants and hesitantly looked down. It was only Pikachu who had a dejected expression on his face. Ash concernedly picked up his sad friend and asked Pikachu if he had something on his mind.

_"Ash..." _Pikachu began_, "can you give me a name?"_

Ash sighed. "Let me hazard a guess. This is because of what Zephyr's Pikachu said to you."

Pikachu shot Ash an exasperated look. The Mouse Pokemon whined, _"Caedes won't stop calling me 'kid' until I get a name."_

The brown-eyed boy shook his head. "Okay, okay," he conceded. "Just... give me some time. All that aside, what do you think of Caedes?"

A serious look immediately replaced Pikachu's exasperated one. _"He is very strong. Maybe stronger than all of your Pokemon, including me, Ash,"_ Pikachu concluded.

"Why do you think that is the case?" Ash asked curiously.

Pikachu elaborated, _"I really... can't say. It's... just about the way he carries himself. There is an aura of extreme confidence radiating from him. Also, when I gazed into his... amber-coloured eyes, I sense that he has experienced a lot of hardships and overcame all of them. He speaks with the tone of a very experienced and seasoned battler. I would bet that he is most likely the leader of Zephyr's team."_

Ash nodded at Pikachu's elaboration and grinned at the Mouse Pokemon. "Well, that just means we have to train harder then," Ash exclaimed with vigour.

Pikachu promptly punched the air with his fist. _"You bet'cha!"_

Ash then gazed at the spot where Seishirou had disappeared into the crowd. "Zephyr... or whoever you are..., should we meet in this tournament, you're in for the match of your life," Ash resolved. "Count on it."

* * *

**Done. I hope this was a nice appetizer for you.**

**Read and review please.**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	3. Chapter II : New Bonds

**Chapter 2 is finally here. OCs shall be introduced starting from now.**

**Speaking of OCs, I have about seven of them so I will not be taking down the OC form anytime soon.**

**On another note, I have changed Levitas' name to Caedes Umbra Telum and corrected a few errors in Chapter I due to the English terms of Gen V being revealed.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

After a week out in the open sea, seeing nothing but a light blue sky and water of a darker hue, Caelum City finally came into view. Though Ash and the other passengers were a good twenty minutes away from it, the sheer size of the city coupled with the fact that the passengers of the S.S. Supremacy, Ash included, were each given a pair of binoculars made the city nigh impossible for anyone to miss... unless that person was blind. With Ash's vision enhanced by the binoculars, he could not help but marvel at the enchancing beauty of the city. There were huge and tall skyscrapers like those found in Castelia City with the differences being that they were not clustered together and more varied in shape. Some skyscrapers were cylinder-shaped while others were pyramid-shaped. However, all of them were dwarved by the stalagmite-shaped megastructure which occupied the heart of the city. It was so tall that it actually reached the clouds. Though the clouds were obscuring his vision, Ash could make out a strange symbol at the tip of the tower: a circle which consisted of half a sun and half a crescent-shaped moon. There were also some neon-lighted words below the symbol but before Ash could find out what they were, a hand clasped his shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie.

Ash swiftly turned around but exhaled a sigh of relief when his eyes fell on his travelling companion and friend, Cilan. The co-Gym Leader of Striaton City was donning his usual attire which consisted of a white long-sleeved shirt under a black vest, black slacks and brown leather shoes. The green-eyed male was holding out a sling bag towards Ash with a soft smile on his face.

"Always the eager Bibarel," Cilan remarked as he handed the sling bag over to Ash. "Though we've travelled with each other for about a year, I still can't fathom where you get this substantial amount of zeal from. It just does not cease to amaze me."

Ash and Cilan chuckled in unison as the former slung the bag over his left shoulder. "You should count yourself lucky," Ash told Cilan amusedly.

"Oh..., and why is that?" Cilan prodded.

Ash stated, "If you were journeying with me when I was younger about three to four years back, I would've simply jumped off the ship and left you here all by yourself. Then, I would get lost in the city and you would have to spend half a day searching for me. As you can tell by that statement, I was much more zealous back then and ended up giving my friends severe migraines."

Cilan nodded intently. "I see..." he droned on. "I don't know what sin your friends might have committed but I guess travelling with a little devil like you must have been their intended punishment."

The black-haired boy playfully punched Cilan's left shoulder as he laughingly agreed, "Yeah. I guess Arceus must've hated them so much that it gave them a punishment worse than death - me."

Both Trainers once again let out joyous laughs. Ash was grateful to Cilan and his ability to lighten up the atmosphere. When he was down in the dumps, he could always count on Cilan to brighten up his day. He had been Ash's pillar of support ever since the green-haired Gym Leader joined him on his journey. For that, Ash was eternally grateful.

_"Attention, attention all passengers," _the captain's voice suddenly rang out over the intercom. _"We shall be docking in Caelum City soon. Please ensure that you have not left any of your belongings on the ship. The crew does not, I repeat, does not hold any responsibility for the loss of your valuables. Also, avoid pushing or shoving each other when going down the boarding ramps. On a side note, the crew is also not responsible for any loss of life. Thank you."_

Ash had been on many cruise ships and the one thing he had learned from using them as a mode of transportation was that no one, except the smart ones, ever listened to the captain's warning about pushing and shoving each other. The black-haired boy's observational skills were proven quite polished as when the cruise ship was connected to the port of Caelum City via the boarding ramps, the pushing and shoving began. It was kind of hard to restrain yourself when you were just a few steps away from setting foot in a technologically-advanced city.

"It's like watching a stampede of Tauros," Ash muttered exasperatedly as he gazed at the hectic scene in front of him.

"Yes, it would be a bad situation to get into if you ask me," a voice agreed with Ash.

Both Ash and Cilan turned towards the owner of said voice. The voice belonged to a male teen who was about Ash's height. He had sparkling blue eyes and messy blue hair with three of his bangs looking like scythes starting from his left eye to the middle of his forehead. The blue-haired teen wore a grey shirt under a black jacket with a hoodie, navy blue pants and sneakers coloured in red and black accents.

"Hey, I know you," Ash said as realization dawned upon him. "You're that Trainer with the Zoroark who battled the Trainer who used a Floatzel. That was a sweet battle."

A soft smile graced the newcomer's features upon hearing Ash's assessment of his performance in the battle. "Thanks but I would've preferred to win it actually," he admitted. He then extended a hand in greeting as he introduced himself, "My name is Michael 'Silver' Moonwell and I'm from Twinleaf Town though I was originally born in Pallet Town. Nice to meet you."

"What a coincidence," Ash remarked as he shook Michael's hand. "I was born in Pallet Town as well but I guess that's where our similarities end 'cause I'm still living there. My name is Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum."

"Pleasure," Michael replied sincerely. He then turned his attention towards Ash's travelling companion, Cilan. "Well, isn't this a surprise? I didn't expect to see you here. How've you been, Cilan?"

"Nice to see you again, Michael," Cilan said. "I've been travelling with Ash since he defeated me in a Gym battle. And I've gotta say, this past year has been anything but dull." The green-haired teen briefly shot Ash an amused expression as he thought of their meetings with Team Plasma and two members of the Tao Trio.

Ash caught on to what Cilan was thinking as he chuckled nervously at his friend.

Michael was a little confused but allowed that feeling to slide. "I see..." he responded. "Anyway, I've just had an epiphany. Do you guys happen to have a Pokemon with a high jumping ability?"

Ash shot Michael a quizzical look before the gears in his head started to turn. "I get it now. You want our Pokemon to carry us and jump from the ship onto the port, right?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Michael confirmed.

"Well..." Ash uttered as he checked the Poke Balls on his belt. "I have Infernape with me. What about you, Cilan?"

Cilan gave Ash an exasperated yet amused look. "Do you really to ask that Ash?" he countered smoothly. "You know that I always carry my Simisage with me. He's my very first and premium brand Pokemon. I would never think to part with him. While we're on the subject, where's Pikachu?"

"Oh, well I don't call him Pikachu anymore," Ash told Cilan.

Cilan absently tapped his chin in thought. "So..." he began, "this would mean that you have given him a name. What might it be?"

Ash coughed a bit before he exclaimed, "His name is Niveus Rutilus Telum!"

On cue, Pikachu, now called Niveus, magically appeared, leapt onto Ash's head and punched the air whilst exclaiming_, "I have been reborn!"_

Cilan dramatically clapped his hands and applauded, "Bravo! Bravo!"

Michael sweatdropped as he watched the scene before him unfold. He sighed, "As much as I like them, I would rather not be their travelling companion." The blue-haired boy promptly snapped his fingers and successfully gained both Ash's and Cilan's attention. "Are you guys done with your drama yet?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"Sorry," Ash and Cilan apologized in unison.

"Never mind," Michael said as he waved off their apology. He then wordlessly unclipped a Poke Ball from one of his belt clips and lobbed it into the air. The Poke Ball deftly opened and released a Pokemon that filled Ash with a sense of nostalgia: it was a Sceptile. After informing the Forest Pokemon of his plan, Michael clung onto its back. When the Sceptile was sure that its Trainer had a firm grip, it leapt onto the railing before jumping down the ship, therefore exiting Ash's and Cilan's line of sight.

"Guess it's our turn huh, Cilan?" Ash asked the Gym Leader, getting a nod from him in the process. "Come on out, Infernape."

"Simisage, I need your help," Cilan whispered as he lobbed his Poke Ball.

The white lights that were released from Ash's and Cilan's Poke Balls materialized into the Flame Pokemon, Infernape and the Thorn Monkey Pokemon, Simisage respectively. Both primate-like Pokemon took deep breaths of fresh air before setting their sights upon their Trainers.

"Infernape, can you carry us and jump off this ship and onto the port?" Ash asked his Infernape.

_"No sweat, Ash," _the Flame Pokemon chimed. Infernape then gently slung his right arm around his Trainer's waist. He looked at Pikachu who had a firm grip on Ash's jacket collar. The Fire-type then switched his attention back to Ash, who gave him the green light. Taking a deep breath, Infernape channelled his energy into his calf muscles. After he was satisfied with the amount of energy he had managed to store up, Infernape leapt five feet over the railing with Ash and Pikachu in tow and landed safely on the port. The Flame Pokemon subsequently set his Trainer down onto the ground.

"Thanks, Infernape. I know I can always count on you," Ash said in appreciation as he lightly rubbed Infernape's back.

_"You're welcome" _was Infernape's simple reply before he went back into his Poke Ball.

At the same time Ash returned Infernape back into his Poke Ball, Simisage arrived with Cilan. The green-eyed Gym Leader gave the Thorn Monkey Pokemon a treat - a blueberry muffin to be exact - before returning it back into his Poke Ball.

Ash scanned the sea of people for Michael and found the blue-haired boy casually leaning against a lamp post. He swiftly lifted his arm and waved in Michael's direction to get his attention. The blue-eyed teen noticed Ash and made his way over to the raven-haired boy with his hands in his pockets.

"You guys sure took your time," Michael observed.

Ash said nothing but instead smiled at Michael apologetically. "So..., uh..., Cilan. Where will we be staying throughout our time here?" he asked.

Cilan paused for a moment to think before pulling out a pamphlet from the left breast pocket of his vest. After browsing through some of the pages of the pamphlet, Cilan stated, "According to this pamphlet, we shall be staying at Betwixt Hotel. It's the pillar-shaped structure you saw through your binoculars. We should go to the heart of the city since this pamphlet states that it is located there."

"Why is it called the Betwixt Hotel? Does it have any particular meaning?" Ash thought out loud.

This time, Michael decided to showcase his knowledge as he explained, "There is a symbol at the peak of the hotel. The symbol consists of half a sun and half a crescent-shaped moon. The theme of the hotel is most probably 'Neither Light, Nor Dark'. The hotel represents the world in-between, hence the term 'betwixt'."

Ash scratched his head exasperatedly. "I think I get it..., sorta," Ash said unconvincingly. "Can we get something to eat first? I'm kinda hungry."

On cue, Ash's and Niveus' stomachs growled loudly, eliciting embarassed chuckles from the pair of Trainer and Pokemon. Michael and Cilan soon joined in the laughter.

Cilan re-read the pamphlet again before announcing, "We shall be going to the park. The city's administration has prepared all the necessary cooking equipment there." He then offered, "How about some spicy stir-fried noodles? I already have the ingredients in my sling bag so we don't have to waste time and money to go buy some."

The two Trainers, especially Ash, nodded eagerly.

"We'll just have to travel along this road," Cilan said, motioning to the bricked pathway in front of them. "We should be able to reach the park in approximately ten min-"

Before Cilan even had a chance to finish his sentence, a deafening roar sounded from atop the cruise ship. Ash, Cilan, Michael and essentially everyone present on the port immediately turned their attention towards the ship, each wondering what could have been responsible for that loud roar. On cue, a large silhouette launched off the ship and flew towards the city. The silhouette looked like a three-headed, dragon-like Pokemon. It had black wings on its back a pink flower-like collar on its neck which opened to its head. The main head was in dark blue in colour while its eyes were brick red. Its hands, also black, harbored a head in each one. These heads were also blue with black eyes. There were small collars on the inside of the dragon-like Pokemon's hands. Besides that, two overall-like pink stripes were located on its abdomen. Its feet had no nails but were shaped like two-toed forks. Its tail also sported a pink stripe with a black tuft on the end of it.

At first, Ash's eyes widened in awe as he watched the Pokemon fly over him. However, the mere sight of it forced him to remember the event that occured at the peak of N's castle. It made him remember the man that he had come to despise with all his heart; it made him remember **Ghetsis**. Still, Ash shook that bad memory out of his head and focused his attention back onto the Hydreigon. Through his vision, he saw a familiar person on the Hydreigon's back. Time seemed to have slowed down as said person slowly turned around and flashed Ash a smirk before he disappeared into the distance with the Brutal Pokemon.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday," Michael remarked casually. "That Trainer must be extremely talented."

"What makes you say that?" Ash asked.

Michael elaborated, "Hydreigon are one of the most difficult Pokemon to train. They are very aggressive and super brutal Pokemon. Just because you own one, it doesn't give you the right to gloat. There have been cases where Hydreigon attacked and devoured their own Trainers. Despite this, Trainers continue to pursue their dream of owning a Hydreigon because they are very powerful Pokemon. They have been classified as pseudo-legendary Pokemon alongside Garchomp, Metagross, Salamence, Tyranitar and Dragonite. Since that Hydreigon allowed its Trainer to ride it, it must have acknowledged the fact that the Trainer is indeed and without a doubt worthy of becoming its Trainer."

A slight frown crossed Ash's lips. "Looks like Zephyr has an ace up his sleeve," Ash mumbled. "Wait, what if he has more than one ace Pokemon? What if all his Pokemon are aces?"

Ash was cut off from his musing when Michael suddenly announced, "Race you to the park!" The blue-haired teen promptly sprinted in the direction of the park, making Ash and Cilan eat his dust.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ash called out to Michael as he chased after him.

Cilan sighed. "Looks like I have to deal with two Food Shoguns now," he muttered exasperatedly. Adjusting his green bowtie, he jogged after the duo.

* * *

The park was simply, for lack of a better word, astounding. It was very large and spacious in Ash's opinion but given the size of Caelum City, the citizens there considered it to be very small. Nonetheless, most of them appreciated the construction of the park as it provided a nice retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. A fountain of epic proportions occupied the center of the park. People would often flip coins into the fountain in a sad attempt to make their wishes come true. Though it never really worked, they continued to do it, probably just for fun. The park also had a picnic area which included picnic tables, water faucets, barbecue grills and all the other basic necessities that could be found in a picnic area.

While Cilan was busy with the cooking, Ash and Michael were calmly waiting on the picnic benches. Ash was busy tinkering with his Unova Pokedex while Michael was passing the time by reading a paperback novel. The former was searching for the analysis regarding Hydreigon which had already been stored in his Pokedex's hard drive due to his encounter with Ghetsis's Hydreigon. After minutes of searching, Ash found the data concerning Hydreigon.

**"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokemon and the final form of Deino," **Ash's Pokedex beeped. **"This-"**

Before Ash could hear anymore of the analysis, his Pokedex was snatched out of his hand. Ash looked up to glare at the perpetrator, Michael. The blue-haired boy promptly switched off the Pokedex before sliding it back towards Ash.

"What was that for?" Ash inquired with annoyance as he caught the Pokedex.

Michael flipped his novel close before setting his sights on Ash. He then replied, "You're getting too caught up in this tournament and it hasn't even started yet. It doesn't start until tomorrow so you should use the time you have left to relax. You can worry about the Hydreigon's Trainer later. He won't be going anywhere and if my instincts are correct, he won't be losing anytime soon."

Ash opened his mouth to retort but no words came out. He forced himself to relax by taking in two huge gulps of air. There was really no point in getting into an argument with the blue-eyed teen over such a trivial matter. Ash could see the sense in Michael's words. He should not be stressing himself about Zephyr but a part of him wished to know more about the enigmatic Trainer. How many Pokemon does he have? How strong are they? Are they, like Niveus concluded, stronger than his team? All of these questions were floating around in his head.

The raven-haired boy suppressed those thoughts for the time being and eagerly asked Michael, "So, what have you accomplished as a Trainer, Michael?"

Michael's left eye twitched but he still managed to maintain the smile on his face. He hesitantly answered, "Well..., with the exception of both the Kanto and Hoenn League, I've made it to the semis of each Pokemon League. In the Kanto League, I emerged the second best Trainer while in the Hoenn League, I lost in the quarters. On a better note, I managed to conquer the Kanto Battle Frontier." He paused for awhile to catch his breath before he asked Ash, "How about you?"

Ash scratched his head sheepishly as he responded, "I've never actually won any major Leagues unless you count the Orange League. My best result so far is a Top 4 finish in the Sinnoh League. In the Johto and Hoenn Leagues, I only made it into the quarters. Like you, I too have conquered the Kanto Battle Frontier."

"What about the Kanto and Unova Leagues?" Michael prodded. "How did you fare in them?"

Ash pulled his cap down as he said, "I'd rather not talk about the Kanto League. As for the Unova League, it won't start for another two months so I'm competing in the Zenith League to gain experience so that I may improve my chances in the Unova League."

Michael stared at Ash with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Wait," he said once realization dawned upon him, "you're not competing for victory?"

Ash simply nodded. He explained, "The Zenith League is a worldwide event. Powerful Trainers from all regions are invited to compete in this tournament. I haven't even won a regional Pokemon League yet so what chance do I have of winning a world-level Pokemon League? Make no mistake, me and my Pokemon will give our absolute best in every match because after all, we can't do more than our best. Still, my aim is to gain experience, not to win the Zenith League."

"That's a pretty nice and realistic philosophy you got there," Michael remarked. "Unfortunately, I don't share your feelings. In every tournament that I have participated and will participate in, regardless of how strong the other competitors are, I have only one aim - victory. Though it helps to be realistic sometimes, at the end of the day, it shall come down to whoever has the greatest drive to win. If I maintain my drive, my hunger, then all of my hard work will soon come into fruition."

Ash just shrugged. "Different strokes for different folks, I guess," Ash stated.

"Touche," Michael commended Ash.

Ash inwardly smiled, proud of his newfound maturity. The old Ash would have gotten into an argument, stating that his philosophy was better. "You said that you were from Twinleaf Town," Ash thought out loud. "Who did you pick as your starter? Was it a Chimchar, a Turtwig or a Piplup?"

"Neither, actually," Michael replied. "Believe it or not, I have the same starter Pokemon as you."

Ash's eyes widened a fraction. "You have a Pikachu, too?"

The blue-haired teen nodded. "Yup," he confirmed. "Her name is Cloud. Would your Pikachu like to meet her?"

As if to answer Michael's question, Niveus leapt from the picnic bench onto the table. The Mouse Pokemon then gazed at Michael with eagerness present in his brown eyes.

"I guess that answers that question," Michael chuckled. The blue-eyed boy then unclipped a Poke Ball from his many belt clips and held it so that it was facing the spot in front on Niveus. The dual-coloured ball promptly released a red light which the intended spot on the table. The light subsequently materialized into a Pikachu but it was unlike any Pikachu that neither Ash nor Niveus had seen.

They could tell that the Pikachu was female from the v-shaped 'dent' at the end of its tail. However, unlike other Pikachu, her fur was jet black. Also, instead of the two brown horizontal stripes found on normal Pikachu, there was a unique cloud-shaped pattern on her back. In Niveus' opinion, he found her eyes to be her most attractive feature. They were in a mesmerizing silver tone.

"Wow," Ash breathed in awe. "You have a Shiny Pikachu. That's so cool."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Michael drawled. "Anyway, it seems that our Pikachu are getting acquainted with each other."

Ash switched his attention from Michael to the two Pikachu. A soft smile crept onto Ash's facial expression as he watched and listened in on their conversation.

* * *

_"Hello, my name is Niveus,"_ the male Pikachu introduced himself. _"What is your name?"_

_"Um..., nice to meet you, Niveus," _Cloud replied shyly. _"My name is... Cloud."_

Niveus smiled at female Pikachu. _"Wow, that's a cool name," _he remarked. _"You should be glad to have a Trainer with a good naming sense."_

Cloud stared at Niveus with a mildly surprised expression. _"D-Do you really think that... my name is actually cool?" _she hesitantly asked.

_"Yeah, of course," _Niveus confirmed sincerely. He then asked her inquisitively, _"Don't you like your name?"_

_"N-No, o-of course I like it__," _she stammered. _"It's just that... other Pokemon always tease me about my name since I was named after the unique pattern on my back."_

_"Well, those Pokemon are jerks then," _Niveus stated with a displeased tone. _"You shouldn't let them get to you. Who cares if they tease you about your name? As long as you like your name, then it's fine, right?"_

The female Pikachu just gazed at Niveus with disbelief etched across her face. No Pokemon, other than her teammates and Michael, had ever stood up for her. She had just met Niveus a few seconds ago and he was treating her with the utmost kindness, as if he had known her for a long time. This brought a genuine smile on Cloud's face.

_"T-Thank you, Niveus," _she said happily.

Niveus chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly. _"No sweat," _he replied in a laid-back tone.

The male Mouse Pokemon then scanned his surroundings before setting his sights on an apple tree not far from where they were standing. An idea suddenly popped in his head. _"Hey, wanna go over to that apple tree over there?" _he asked Cloud as he pointed to said tree.

The shiny Pikachu's gaze followed the direction at which Niveus' finger was pointing to and finally landed on the apple tree. She shifted her gaze back to Niveus and nodded eagerly. _"Okay," _she accepted.

Niveus grinned and held out a paw towards Cloud who grasped it straight away. Both the Pikachu then leapt down the picnic table and merrily skipped their way over to the apple tree with serene smiles etched on their facial features.

* * *

"Awww," Ash cooed as watched the two Pikachu skip away. "They're like one happy married couple."

Michael rubbed his temples with exasperation. "I sometimes wonder about you, Ash," he mumbled inaudibly.

Both of the Trainers' sense of smell were suddenly attacked by a wonderful and slightly salty aroma. They abruptly turned their attention to the picnic table and the sight that greeted them caused the two boys to salivate with eagerness. In front of them were two plates of stir-fried noodles. There were some bean sprouts, tofu and bit of jalapeno peppers together with the noodles.

"Well, dig in," Cilan announced.

Ash and Michael sent Cilan appreciative glances before doing just what the green-haired teen told them to do; they happily dug into their meal.

* * *

Niveus and Cloud finally reached the apple tree. The former unclenched his paw from Cloud's, unaware of the disappointed look now present on her face. The male of the Pikachu pair looked up and found out that there was an abundance of apples on the tree. He spent a few moments browsing through the apples on the tree before he finally found the perfect apples: two Red Delicious apples that were joined together by a single stalk. Happy with his choice, Niveus released an extremely weak Thundershock, which struck the stalk holding the apples together and therefore separated them. Gravity did the rest as the apples fell down the tree and were caught by Niveus.

Niveus then turned to face Cloud and held out an apple towards her. _"Here you go," _he said.

Cloud wordlessly yet gratefully accepted the fruit.

The male Mouse Pokemon promptly moved closer to the tree and sat down against the tree trunk. Once he was comfortable, he invited Cloud to join him by tapping the spot next to him.

That gesture brought a faint blush across Cloud's cheeks. She did not understand how Niveus could be so comfortable with this. They were of the opposite sex and yet the male Pikachu was completely fine with it. Despite her uneasiness, she slowly inched her way towards Niveus and settled down beside him.

He smiled at her cheerfully before announcing, _"Bon appetit."_

Cloud watched as Niveus took a bite of his apple. He did not ravage the fruit unlike her male teammates who would do that to their food. Instead, a nice and smooth 'crunch' sound stimulated her sense of hearing. Her eyes were locked onto his lips as they were wet with the juice of the apple. Niveus' tongue then darted out and licked them clean. She was so focused on his lips that she did not notice Niveus giving her a weird look.

_"Umm..., are you okay?" _Niveus asked in a concerned tone.

His question snapped Cloud out of her reverie. Instead of answering her question, she whipped her head away from Niveus and found the ground more interesting to admire. The blush across her cheeks intensified by a factor of two. She mentally berated herself for getting, for lack of a better word, enchanted by Niveus' lips. Her blush intensified yet again. She could not believe that she was thinking about the male Pikachu's lips of all things. The female Pikachu had never been so embarassed in all her life.

Cloud suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She slowly turned around to face Niveus. It did little to alleviate her current mood as Niveus was holding out an apple slice close to her mouth. She hazarded a gaze at her apple from the corner of her eye, only to find that it was not there.

_"He must've took the apple when I was... preoccupied," _she deduced exasperatedly. She looked at Niveus again but she wished she did not do that for he was gazing at her with the kindest brown eyes she had ever seen.

_"Since you won't eat the apple on your own," _Niveus began_, "can I feed these apple slices to you?"_

Cloud's mind immediately shut down. _"F-F-Feed me?" _she flabbergasted in her head. _"This guy's unreal. I oughta give him a Thunder he'll never forget. B-But he's been nothing but kind to me. He probably doesn't know he's making me uncomfortable. Get it together, Cloud. I'll just say 'never mind'. That's right. Just say that."_

She opened her mouth but no words came out. It was just two simple words and yet Cloud was finding it difficult to say them, especially to a kind Pokemon like Niveus. Unfortunately, she did not have time to dwell on the matter as Niveus inserted the apple slice into her mouth. Cloud inwardly moaned. Her own body had chosen to declare mutiny and seized control from her. She could feel her brain sending the motor impulses to her jaw muscles. Accepting her fate, she relaxed and chewed the apple slice before swallowing it.

Just when she thought that her ordeal was over, Niveus held out another apple slice towards her. Her ears drooped in exasperation but she did not complain. She simply opened her maw and allowed Niveus to feed her the apple slice. Though it may look like she did not enjoy it one bit, her heart spoke otherwise. She had decided. Cloud would allow a bond to be tied between them. She would allow Niveus... to delve deeper into her heart.

* * *

Michael simply stared at Ash as the latter finished a fifth plate of Cilan's noodles. He then looked down at his own plate. There was about a fifth of the portion he had received left on the plate. The blue-eyed teen did not believe in wasting food but watching Ash devour the noodles made him lose his appetite. He sighed and wondered whether or not his new friend had a bottomless pit as a stomach.

"Ahh..., that hit the spot," Ash moaned in delight as he patted his stomach.

Ignoring Ash's moan of ecstasy, Michael checked the time on his Poketch. It was already noon. Sweeping a hand through his hair, he promptly stood up and pocketed his paperback novel. He adjusted the collar of his black jacket before fixing his gaze upon his new friends.

"We should be on our way, guys," he suggested. "We wouldn't want to deal with a traffic jam at the hotel if you know what I mean."

Cilan nodded. "Michael's right," he agreed. "We really should check into Betwixt Hotel now."

Ash stretched his back as he yawned loudly. With his hunger sated, he now had energy that would most probably last for eight hours, for him anyway. He adjusted the cap on his head and stood up from the picnic bench. He checked his equipment to make sure he did not lose anything.

"Let's see now," Ash began. "Poketch... check. Cap... check. Gloves... check. Niveus... um..."

"Niveus and Cloud are most probably at the apple tree over there," Michael said as he pointed at said tree.

Ash squinted his eyes at the tree and noticed two small silhouettes there. "Well, we better go them," he said as he jogged towards the tree with Cilan and Michael in tow.

When Ash and company reached their destination, they were greeted with a rather cute and touching sight. Cloud was sleeping with her head on Niveus' left shoulder while Niveus had his arm draped across Cloud's shoulders and his head rested on her's. Both the Pikachu looked as if they did not have a care in the world.

Michael immediately took out a camera and snapped a picture of the two. He then whispered to Ash, "I'll send you a copy of the picture later."

"I appreciate it," Ash whispered his thanks.

Both Ash and Michael slowly tiptoed to the sleeping pair of Pikachu as to not arouse either of them from their slumber. They silently prayed to Arceus that they would not get shocked when they will seperate the Pikachu from each other. Taking a deep breath, Ash lifted Niveus' arm off Cloud's shoulders while Michael supported Cloud's head. In one fluid motion, Ash and Michael lifted up their Pikachu in unison. Arceus must have heard their prayer as the two Pikachu were still sleeping soundly. Ash and Michael promptly exchanged mental high fives.

Cloud, who was cradled safely by Michael, suddenly shifted and eased against the blue-eyed teen's chest. _"Niveus..." _Michael heard Cloud moan longingly.

Michael spared a glance at Niveus who was cradled in Ash's arms. He noticed that the male Pikachu had a small yet content smile on his face.

He then switched his attention to Cloud and smiled at her. "Looks like you have found one who is worthy of your heart," he gently whispered into her ear.

With every equipment - including Pokemon - taken into account, the quintet made their way towards Betwixt Hotel.

* * *

**Nice chapter in my opinion. I really enjoyed writing the scene between Cloud and Niveus.**

**Hope you guys liked the name I gave Ash's Pikachu. Niveus is a Latin word.**

**I shall be going on a three-week hiatus beacause exams start tomorrow. Wish me luck.**

**A special thanks to OnewingedAngel118 for lending me your OC.**

**Don't forget to review 'kay.**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	4. Chapter III : Friends & Rivals

**There will be some battles in this chapter, though they are unofficial I'm afraid. **

**Just want to give you all an insight of my battle-writing ability.**

**Hope you guys like this chapter.**

* * *

Ash, Cilan and their new friend, Michael, were just a few steps from setting foot into the Betwixt Hotel when a thought suddenly struck Michael.

"Ash... we have registered to confirm our participation in this tournament, right?" he asked Ash with a deadpan voice.

Instead of answering the blue-eyed teen's question, Ash simply gave him a blank stare. Michael in turn gave Ash a blank stare as well. At that moment, all thoughts were cleared out of their heads, save for two simple words.

"Oh crap" were the words that echoed within their heads as Ash and Michael abruptly turned around and ran like the wind to the designated area for registration: Wuji Stadium.

Cilan shook his head in exasperation as he watched their forms shrink into the distance. "Might as well get those two a room since I'm here," he sighed. The green-haired young adult once again adjusted his green bow-tie before pushing the revolving doors, thus entering the Betwixt Hotel.

* * *

The Wuji Stadium was a work of art to say the least. Its design was inspired by the shape of a star. It was constructed from the finest marble in the world, giving it a bluish silver appearance. If one were in a helicopter, he or she would notice that the stadium was divided into six sectors. The main pentagon-shaped sector made up the battlefield while the other five sectors made up the stands. To ensure that every spectator would get a good view of the action, each row of seats were constructed slightly higher than the row that preceded them. If you were in the last row - which would mean that you would be at the 'tip' of the sector - the organizers would provide you with an iPad so that you may watch the battle from the screen of the tablet computer. The Wuji Stadium had about seven JumboTron screens; one inside the stadium and six fixed onto the exterior walls of the stadium. People should count themselves lucky to have the chance to gaze upon the Wuji Stadium.

For Ash and Michael though, they did not have the time to ponder on whether or not they were lucky to see said stadium as they were preoccupied with the thought of registering for the Zenith League. Their eyes were fixed solely on the main entrance of the stadium as they ran towards it. Luckily, the sensor fixed above the entrance detected their presence and made life just a tad bit easier for them as the glass doors slid open for them. As soon as they set foot inside the building, they paused for a moment to catch their breath.

"Huh... huh... the only time I've ever ran that fast was to chase an ice cream truck back when... I was a kid," Ash panted.

"I have... to start running more often," Michael huffed. "I can't believe that my... stamina is this low."

"Well... at least we made it, right?" Ash attempted to light up the situation.

Michael glanced at Ash with a tired smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "I guess we did." He then suggested, "Let's go to the reception counter. We'll go register there."

With that said, both Trainers made their way over to the reception counter. Once they were there, they caught sight of Nurse Joy handing a Pokedex back to a Trainer. Said Trainer thanked Nurse Joy and turned around. Once he did, Ash and Michael saw the male Trainer's face and the former recognized him instantly. The male had blond hair that was brushed down and parted in the middle, grey eyes, peach-coloured skin and was slightly shorter than Ash. He wore a purple shirt under a hoodie which was in a darker shade of purple and an orange jacket over that. He also donned white pants and sneakers in blue and white accents.

"Hey there, Trip," Ash greeted enthusiastically. "How've you been?"

The blond-haired boy frowned upon hearing Ash's loud voice and ignored his question. Instead, he stated, "My, my. The Committee of the Pokemon League Organization must be really pushing the envelope by inviting a 'hillbilly' to such a prestigious tournament."

Ash's enthusiasm at seeing his rival immediately went downhill after hearing that statement. "Would you stop calling me that?" Ash snapped at Trip. "Just because I was born in a rural area of Kanto, it does not mean that I'm blind to technology."

"Really?" the grey-eyed boy gasped with mock surprise. He then mocked, "However, you still have the voice of a hillbilly so I guess I'll keep calling you that until you can get rid of that loud and annoying voice."

Ash simply glared at Trip with a vehement expression plastered on his face. The subject of Ash's anger was unfazed by the glare sent his way as he countered with a smirk.

Trip was Ash's rival in the Unova region though the former did not acknowledge the rivalry. This was because he felt that Ash was a joke of a Trainer after Ash's Pikachu lost against his Snivy who had absolutely no prior experience to battling. The black-haired boy kept on giving Trip the excuse that Zekrom took away his Pikachu's Electric-based attacks but the grey-eyed boy would have none of it. He did not believe that a legendary Pokemon would show itself to such a weak Trainer who lost 2-5 in their second encounter.

"Ash, calm down," Michael chided. "Frankly, I don't know what you two have going on here but could you please save it for the tournament? If you hate this guy so much, then let's simply register and get on outta here."

Cloud chose to pop out from behind Michael's shoulder as the female Pikachu sensed that the atmosphere was getting too tense for her liking. The Pikachu, with her shiny jet black fur, was immediately noticed by a certain Pokemon Photographer.

"Wow, a Shiny Pikachu," Trip gasped in awe as he whipped out his green camera and began snapping pictures of Cloud. "This material would be great for my album."

Whereas Michael and Cloud became uncomfortable at their personal space being invaded, Ash had finally calmed down and made his way towards the reception counter. He was greeted by none other than Nurse Joy.

"Hello," she greeted him with a smile. "Given the Pikachu on your shoulder, am I right to assume that you are here to register for the Zenith League?"

Ash and Niveus nodded their heads in unison. "I would've registered sooner," he told her as he gave her an apologetic look, "but the thought seemed to have slipped from my mind. Sorry for troubling you, Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy motioned with her hands as she said, "It's fine. I've been the receptionist at many Pokemon tournaments so I would be surprised if I did not encounter this situation. I appreciate your apology though." She then asked him, "May I see your invitation letter and Pokedex?"

Ash complied by placing the aforementioned items onto the counter. Nurse Joy checked the letter first and after she determined that it was authentic, she handed it back to Ash.

"Your invitation letter is authentic and therefore valid," she stated with a kind yet professional tone. "Next, I'll run your Pokedex through the computer." The pink-haired nurse promptly inserted Ash's Unova Pokedex into a small slot below the monitor of the computer. A few seconds later, the computer screen flashed green and Ash's Pokedex automatically ejected from the slot. On cue, a card popped out from another slot beside the first one. Nurse Joy then withdrew the items from their respective slots before handing them to Ash.

"You're all set," she chimed. "Before you go, I'll explain the function of the card." She let out a few coughs before explaining, "This is your Zenith League ID card. As long as you have it, you are acknowledged as a participant of the Zenith League. With it, you can access the training area, the Trainer database and many privileges throughout Caelum City. The card can also keep track of your numerous battles and the number of Pokemon you have. That is all and I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Ash uttered his thanks to Nurse Joy and stepped aside as Michael, whose personal space was still being invaded by Trip, handed his invitation letter and Sinnoh Pokedex to her. She repeated the process with Michael's Pokedex, gave him his ID card, elaborated its functions to him and wished him well throughout his stay in Caelum City.

Seeing as Trip was still snapping pictures of Cloud, Michael turned to face the blond-haired boy. "I get that you're intrigued by Cloud," he began, "but could you please stop invading our personal space?"

"Your plea is unnecessary," Trip stated as he pocketed his camera. "I'm done anyway."

Michael nodded appreciatively at Trip before announcing, "We best be getting to the Betwixt Hotel, Ash. We wouldn't want to keep our green-eyed friend waiting."

"We sure don't," the black-haired boy agreed. "Let's go."

Both Ash and Michael exited Wuji Stadium and once again made their way towards Betwixt Hotel. Trip silently followed after the energetic duo. He was thinking of checking into the hotel anyway.

* * *

The interior of the Betwixt Hotel was just as amazing as its exterior. The lobby was decorated with white, silver and black granite pillars. One wall had a water feature. Streams of water trickled down endlessly, disappearing into some sort of trough. Also, the floor was designed to resemble the yin and yang symbol with the active 'yang' symbol being represented by Reshiram and the passive 'yin' symbol being represented by Zekrom.

"This building is simply amazing!" Ash exclaimed with glee.

Trip sighed and shook his head. "Typical hillbilly behaviour," he muttered under his breath.

Luckily for the blond-haired boy, Ash was too preoccupied with admiring the amazing beauty of the hotel so the latter did not even catch a gist of what Trip had just said. Ash had been to many hotels but the Betwixt Hotel dwarfed all of them not only in terms of size but in terms of uniqueness and elegance. Also, the fact that he was going to be staying in this particular hotel throughout his participation in the Zenith League made a feeling of giddiness arise within him. As he was scanning his surroundings, Ash caught sight of Cilan.

"Hey, Cilan," Ash called out to him as he, Michael and Trip made their way over to the Pokemon Connoisseur. "Sorry for running off like that."

Cilan shook his head. "It's fine," he said in a calm tone. He then asked, "Have both of you registered yet?" When the green-haired young adult received nods from them, he withdrew two cards from behind his back and gave Ash and Michael one each. "I took the liberty of checking both of you into this hotel. Our rooms are located on the 40th floor of this two hundred-storey building."

"Aww... why are our rooms located so low?" Ash whined. "Not that I'm not grateful or anything but I'm just curious about it, that's all."

"Well..." Cilan started. "That's because-"

"The upper floors of this hotel are reserved for the top Pokemon Trainers like the Elite Four and the Champions from all regions," Trip cut him off in a matter-of-fact tone. Trip fixed Ash an amused glance before he patronizingly suggested, "You should do some research yourself before asking people to answer your meaningless questions." Ignoring the evil eye he received from Ash, Trip then turned to face Cilan. "It is nice to see you again, Cilan."

Cilan warmly replied, "It's a pleasure to cross paths with you again, Trip." The green-eyed Pokemon Connoisseur then queried him, "Are you here to compete in the Zenith League?"

Trip nodded. "Yes, I am. I plan on pitting myself against the best Trainers to improve on my weaknesses and become a better Pokemon Trainer," he said with conviction.

"Hmm... so that's means I'm in the presence of three Pokemon Trainers with differing goals," Cilan observed. "One seeks to gain experience, one aims to win while another wants to better himself. Such interesting flavours."

The grey-eyed boy once again shot Ash an amused glance. "Would I be right to assume that the one who aims to win the Zenith League is you?" he snidely asked.

Michael, aware that Ash and Trip had issues with each other, chose to step in before the situation turned ugly. "Actually, I'm the one aims to win, not him," he told Trip.

Trip gazed into Michael's eyes, searching for any signs that the blue-haired teen was just pulling his leg. He found none. Michael was telling the truth.

The Pokemon Photographer promptly switched his attention to Ash. "It seems that you've matured, albeit slightly. I guess it makes your presence slightly more bearable," he remarked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Ash's eyes widened a fraction. Did he just heard Trip compliment him? Though Ash detected no sort of praise in Trip's remark, the black-haired boy was grateful nonetheless.

"Thanks, Trip," Ash replied earnestly. Though it was rather faint, Ash swore he saw Trip smile at him.

"Ash, is that you?" the black-haired boy heard someone gasp behind him.

A familiar voice stimulated Ash's sense of hearing. Ash slowly turned around and was greeted by a sight that was absent from his life for a whole year. He saw a blue-haired girl who was wearing a mini dress which was mostly white with a black undershirt inside a V-shaped neck with a short light blue skirt. On her head, she wore a black beanie with a light blue Poke Ball print on it. She also donned gold hair clips that held up her hair in front, a light blue scarf and light blue knee-high boots with white socks underneath.

"Hey, Dawn!" Ash exclaimed in jubilation. Ash ran towards and gave Dawn a hug while twirling her around in the air in the process. Both Ash and Dawn laughed joyfully as they were happy to be reunited after a year-long separation.

"It seems as if it was just yesterday that we were travelling together in Sinnoh," Ash reminisced as he set Dawn back onto the ground. "How are you, Dawn?"

"Just great, Ash," she chimed. "I've gotten all five Johto ribbons to compete in the Johto Grand Festival."

Ash gave her a big smile as he commended her, "Good job, Dawn." He then curiously asked, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training for the Grand Festival?"

"Well... I should," she laughed nervously, "but since the Grand Festival won't be starting anytime soon, I chose to come here to support my friends."

Ash stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "And those friends would be...?"

"Us."

Ash looked past Dawn to see an extremely tall boy with thick blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Frankly, Ash did not find his attire all that interesting. The giant of a boy wore a simple T-shirt with a purple cross print on it and blue denim jeans. There was a smaller boy standing next to him but this one Ash recognized straight away. The individual had teal-coloured hair and was wearing black glasses, an auburn short-sleeved shirt under a green vest, auburn shorts and sneakers with green and auburn accents. It was Max.

"Nice to see you again, Max," Ash greeted warmly.

The bespectacled boy gave Ash a Cheshire grin, ran towards him and hugged the black-haired boy. "I hope you haven't forgotten about your promise, Ash," Max whispered in his ear.

"Of course," Ash whispered back.

* * *

_"Let's make a promise," Ash suggested. "When you become a Pokemon Trainer, seek me out and we'll battle."_

_"Re... Really? It's a deal! Promise me that no matter what, we'll battle one day!" Max said eagerly._

_"Of course!" Ash promised with enthusiasm._

* * *

When Ash and Max retracted from the hug, Ash switched his attention to the extremely tall boy. "My name is Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum," he introduced himself as he extended his hand in greeting. "What's yours?"

"Christopher 'David' Moore, just call me Chris," the tall teen replied as he shook Ash's hand. He then bluntly asked, "What's your relationship with Dawn?"

"Huh?" Ash mouthed in confusion.

"You heard me, what's your relationship with Dawn?" he repeated with a moody and frank tone.

Ash sighed. He now knew that he was dealing with an overprotective and somewhat emotional person. "We were travelling companions back in Sinnoh," Ash responded simply. "Is there something wrong with that?"

A cheerful expression suddenly found its way on Chris' face. "Of course not. You and I are gonna be great friends," he sang as he clasped Ash's shoulder.

"A-hem, a-hem," a voice coughed behind Ash.

Ash turned around while Chris and Ash's former travelling companions looked past him. Their sights were greeted by none other than Cilan, Michael and Trip.

"Would you mind introducing them to us?" Cilan asked.

The black-haired boy nodded. "Sure. Max, Dawn, Chris, I would you to meet Cilan, Michael and Trip. Max and Dawn were my former travelling companions in Hoenn and Sinnoh respectively."

"Hmm..." Cilan hummed in thought. "Now I remember. Ash has told me lots of things about you two. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"Wait a minute, aren't you the Striaton City Gym Leader?" Max asked once realization dawned upon him.

"Co-Gym Leader, actually," Cilan corrected Max. "My brothers, Chilli and Cress, also run the Gym."

Max grinned. "Well, you better be calling your brothers 'cuz I'll heading over to the Unova region after this. I'm so gonna conquer that region!" he smugly exclaimed.

Cilan regarded the bespectacled boy with an amused expression. "I see that Ash's tales of your smug attitude are truthful," he observed.

"Dawn... is that really you?" Michael breathed in disbelief. "You've... grown."

The blue-haired girl stared at the blue-haired boy until her eyes widened in realization. "Michael!" she exclaimed happily as she ran towards him and gave him an oxygen-depraving hug. "I've missed you so much."

"I've mis... missed y-y-you too, Dawn," Michael choked out while flailing his arms in the air as if he was drowning.

"Oops, sorry," she chuckled apologetically as she released Michael from the hug.

The blue-haired male took a few deep breaths before he addressed her, "No worries, Dawn."

Their reunion was cut short when Chris suddenly appeared in front of Michael, therefore obscuring Dawn from the latter's view. "What is your relationship with Dawn?" he bluntly asked.

"...We're childhood friends. Is that gonna be a problem?" Michael countered back. He somehow felt a little annoyed that Chris interrupted the moment between him and Dawn.

Chris stayed and scrutinized the blue-haired teen standing before him. "I don't like you," Chris deadpanned. "From this day forth, we're rivals."

Michael crossed his arms against his chest and turned his head to the side. "Whatever."

"Am I missing something here?" Ash grumbled to Max as he was getting rather tired of hearing Chris ask that question.

Max sighed and grumbled back to Ash, "He is completely infatuated with Dawn. Whenever a boy approaches her, he will ask that question you've just heard to him. Depending on the answer he receives, he'll decide whether the boy is a friend or a rival. Heck, he even asked me that question. She's two years older that me for heaven's sake."

"My, aren't you a very poor soul?" an unfamiliar voice to Max halfheartedly commented, sending chills up his spine. When the teal-haired boy felt cold fingers caress his neck, he immediately jumped and ran to his nearest source of comfort: Ash. Once he determined that he was safe in Ash's arms, he slowly turned his neck towards the one who gave him quite the scare. He saw an individual with a Pikachu on his shoulder. Max had to admit, the individual had some very cool clothes but the second Max laid eyes on the Pikachu, terror filled his heart. The Pikachu was scrutinizing him with frightening amber-coloured eyes. The bespectacled boy suddenly began to shake uncontrollably and deftly buried his face into Ash's chest.

Ash's 'big brother' instincts kicked in as he hugged the obviously terrified boy while he whispered, "Shh... it's gonna be alright, Max. I'm here."

The group consisting of Michael, Dawn, Chris and Cilan halted all their actions and huddled around Ash and Max, each wondering what had gotten into the latter. Even Trip ventured forward, though his attention was focused on Seishirou and Caedes rather than Max.

"Hmm... it would seem that Caedes has scarred another one," Seishirou observed. He then gazed at the scarred Pikachu from the corner of his eye and informed the group of people before them, "Caedes would like to extend his sincerest apology to the little one. Isn't that right, Caedes?"

Caedes eyed his Trainer apathetically. The last words that escaped from his Trainer's lips carried the tone that if he did not do the action which was described in the earlier sentence, there would be consequences. The amber-eyed Pikachu did not hold a shred of guilt from making the young bespectacled boy afraid of him but complied with Seishirou's command by offering Max an apologetic look when the boy glanced up at him. When said boy smiled at him, Caedes shed his facade and reverted back to his emotionless self.

"Who are you?" Chris questioned though his eyes were focused on Seishirou's necklace, not his face.

A slight frown crossed Seishirou's lips. "Is it not customary for you to introduce yourself first before you query me about my name?" he in turn questioned Chris.

"Oh, sorry," Chris apologized. "Name's Chris, the girl's name is Dawn while the brat's name is Max."

"Hey!" Max yelled out indignantly.

Cilan then stepped forward. "My name is Cilan while the one beside me goes by the name of Trip and the one beside Ash is named Michael," he introduced himself, Trip and Michael. "I trust you already know who Ash is since he told me of his encounter with you."

Seishirou gave Cilan a slight nod. "I suppose it is only fair that I give you my name since you told me yours," the sapphire-eyed teen stated. "My name is... Zephyr."

Ash silently sighed in exasperation and mumbled inaudibly, "Wait for it."

"Though it is only a fake name," Seishirou added.

"Heh?" everyone, except Cilan and Trip, mouthed in confusion.

Seishirou eyed the group of people before him with slight amusement. "You wanted to know my name but you did not specify whether you wanted my real name or my alias," he elaborated. "Out of the two options, I chose to tell you all the latter since my identity shall be ultimately revealed tonight during the Zenith League draw ceremony."

Though the group of people - mainly Chris, Michael, Dawn and Max - were slightly peeved at being tricked, they accepted Seishirou's reason for doing so. In their opinion, it was not really a big deal since they were going to find his real name in exactly nine hours' time.

"So, umm... Zephyr," Ash spoke out, catching the enigmatic teen's attention, "which floor are you staying on?" Trip told him that the top floors of the hotel were reserved for the the top Pokemon Trainers so Ash wanted Seishirou to tell him his room's location to confirm his suspicions about Seishirou being a high-level Pokemon Trainer.

Instead of answering Ash's question, Seishirou stated, "This place is too gaudy for my taste. Being surrounded by all this extravagance does not suit me well at all. I am staying on the outskirts of Caelum City, surrounded by greenery and blessed with a peaceful and calm atmosphere."

"I... see," Ash sighed dejectedly.

"You wish to know my strength," Seishirou stated Ash's intention.

"Huh, how d-did you know that?" Ash stammered in disbelief. "Did you read my mind?"

"...No," Seishirou denied. "You wanted to know the location of my room. I know fully well that the rooms located on the top floors are reserved for the top Pokemon Trainers. By asking my that question, I caught on to your intention of finding out my strength as a Pokemon Trainer." He then added, "Instead of telling you, why not I just show you?"

Ash's eyes immediately lit up in excitement. "You mean a Pokemon battle? Sweet!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse me," Trip suddenly spoke out. He asked Seishirou with a respectful tone, "Is it possible for you to treat me to a battle as well, Zephyr-san? I would very much appreciate it."

"Hmm... I was going to give Ash a four-on-four battle but I suppose I can compromise and give both of you a two-on-two battle each," Seishirou decided.

"Thank you, Zephyr-san." Trip expressed his gratitude with a slight bow.

"Hey, Zephyr, why not have our Pikachu duke it out?" Ash eagerly suggested.

Seishirou regarded Ash with a raised eyebrow while Caedes merely scoffed. "Your Pikachu is not yet worthy of facing Caedes," Seishirou voiced out Caedes' thoughts. With that said, Seishirou turned around and made his way to the training fields with Ash and company in tow.

* * *

A Normal-type field was chosen as the site where Seishirou would have his battles with Ash and Trip. Speaking of Ash and Trip, both of them decided that they should flip a coin to see who would face the cryptic Seishirou first. Ash chose heads which meant that Trip had to settle for tails. The former then flipped a coin into the air before holding out his palm. After a few flips in the air, the coin landed on Ash's open palm. Two pairs of eyes focused on the coin on Ash's palm - it landed on heads. Ash punched the air in jubilation while Trip just shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed, obviously a bit dejected.

Ash, ever the eager Bibarel, sprinted towards his position on one end of the battlefield. Niveus then leapt down onto the ground from Ash's shoulder and looked across the field. Ash followed his Pikachu's gaze and saw Seishirou together with Caedes. The pair of Trainer and Pokemon had a disinterested air around them but Ash could tell that they were regarding the battle with utmost seriousness. Well... about 10 per cent seriousness but that was enough for Ash.

The others, minus Cilan who offered to be the referee, were waiting for the battle to start just outside the battlefield. For Trip, Chris, Michael and Max, it was a chance to observe the strength of their competition. For Dawn, there was really no point in her being there but in this case, she was there to lend Ash moral support.

"So, um... who do you guys think will win?" Dawn asked the million-dollar question.

Michael answered her question first. "Ash is a good Trainer but I'm gonna have to go with this Zephyr person. He carries a certain type of confidence that makes him an extremely hard opponent to beat." He paused a moment before he resumed, "No offence to Ash but I think he's gonna get creamed."

"I think so too," Trip agreed with Michael. "I can tell that Zephyr-san is a highly experienced Trainer just by looking into his eyes. I'm curious to see how strong his Pikachu is but judging from his earlier statement, it must be one of, if not the strongest Pokemon in his team so the chances of him using his Pikachu today is rather slim. Still, I'm sure his other Pokemon are more than capable of beating the Pokemon under the ownership of a hillbilly."

"Hey, don't belittle Ash's capabilities like that," Max defended Ash. "Though it's been a while since I last saw him battle, I'm sure he's gotten a lot stronger. I'm rooting for Ash to win this battle."

Chris folded his arms across his chest and observed Ash for a moment. He then said, "The squirt's right." Ignoring the glare he received from Max, he continued, "I enjoy rooting for the underdog and I'll bet ten bottles of Diet Coke that he'll pull off an upset."

Max fixed Chris with a deadpan, half-lidded stare. "I'd be surprised if anyone would want to bet with a Diet Coke addict such as yourself."

The teal-haired boy got a whack on the head for that little comment.

"This is a two-on-two Pokemon battle between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Zephyr from Castelia City," Cilan announced as he stood on a raised platform on the side of the field. "Substitutions are allowed for both combatants and the battle will continue until one team of Pokemon is rendered unable to battle. Begin!"

"Infernape, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed as he lofted a Poke Ball into the air, thereby releasing the Flame Pokemon.

The apathetic expression never left Seishirou's face as he scrutinized Ash's Infernape from head to toe. "Not a bad Infernape," he observed. The enigmatic teen then withdrew a Poke Ball and whispered, "Show them your will, Mienshao."

The Poke Ball in his hand deftly released a red beam which struck the ground in front of Seishirou. The beam of energy subsequently materialized into the Martial Arts Pokemon, Mienshao. The Fighting-type Pokemon gazed at Ash's Infernape speculatively before assuming a proper battle stance.

"Wow, a Mienshao!" Max exclaimed from the sidelines. "They are said to be one of the best Fighting-type Pokemon in the Unova region."

"Well, Ash's Infernape is certainly no pushover," Dawn said. "Since both Pokemon have no advantage over the other, I think this will be an even match-up."

Seishirou heard Dawn's statement and smirked faintly. He uttered inaudibly, "She doesn't realize just how flawed her observational skills are."

"Infernape, start out with Flamethrower," Ash instructed.

Infernape promptly took in a huge intake of air before he released a vermilion stream of fire from his mouth towards Mienshao.

"Use Vacuum Wave," Seishirou ordered softly.

The Martial Arts Pokemon nodded at her Trainer's command and angled her body sideways. She then held out her left whip-like arm and began moving it a circular motion. The arm glowed white as she spun it faster and faster. Soon, a horizontal tornado was fired from her arm towards the oncoming Flamethrower.

Both attacks struck at the centre of the battlefield. The Flamethrower and the Vacuum Wave were fighting for dominance but in the end, the Vacuum Wave won the little skirmish as it engulfed the Flamethrower and continued on its route towards Infernape at a blinding speed.

"Dodge it, Infernape!" Ash called out quickly.

The dual-type Pokemon heeded his Trainer's call as he leaped to the right, narrowly avoiding the Vacuum Wave as it struck the spot where he was standing. Once the tornado subsided, a crater with a radius of about two hundred centimetres was present for everyone to see.

Ash gave out a sigh of relief. "That was too close for comfort."

Unfortunately for Ash, he was not given anymore time to ponder on what could have become of his Infernape had the Vacuum Wave hit its mark as Seishirou commanded, "Force Palm, Mienshao."

Ash's attempt to call out a counter move was shot down as Mienshao's paw came into contact with Infernape's chest a second after Seishirou gave the Martial Arts Pokemon the command. Mienshao then channelled her aura into her paw as a light green blast erupted from it and struck Infernape at point-blank range. Infernape was sent skidding backwards before coming to a halt. However, the Flame Pokemon's ordeal was not over yet as yellow sparks surrounded his body. The dual-type Pokemon gave out a grunt of pain as paralysis came into play.

"Mach Punch," Seishirou chained his commands.

Mienshao crouched down low to the ground before darting forward with a glowing arm, intent on giving Infernape the finishing blow.

"Infernape, execute Counter Shield," Ash commanded firmly.

The Flame Pokemon disregarded the fact that he was in a state of paralysis as he jumped into the air and spun around, engulfing his body in flames in the process. He was far from done as he combined the Flame Wheel with Flamethrower, releasing fire whips everywhere.

The Fighting-type Pokemon halted her attack as her focus had switched from dealing Infernape a finishing blow to dodging the fire whips. Despite her speed and agility, one fire whip found its mark as it struck her right arm. Mienshao's face contorted in slight pain as the fur on her right arm was singed.

Ash saw his chance and ordered, "Quick, execute Flame Wheel!"

The fire whips erupting from the wheel of flame ceased as it spun from the air towards Mienshao. Pain washed over Mienshao's entire body as she was struck by the Flame Wheel and sent sliding backwards.

"Keep up the pressure, Ash!" Max cheered.

Ash complied with Max's cheer as he commanded, "Close Combat, Infernape."

Infernape immediately uncurled himself, thereby canceling the Flame Wheel. He then sped towards Mienshao and began to pummel her with punches and kicks. Though most of them found their mark, Mienshao prevented the kicks and punches from hitting her vital spots by skillfully blocking them.

"Enough," Seishirou announced coldly. "Mienshao, Drain Punch."

Mienshao dodged one more punch from Infernape before landing a swift punch into the Flame Pokemon's gut, preventing him from continuing his assault upon her. All the air escaped from Infernape's lungs as he hunched forward. Green sparks surrounded Infernape as they travelled from his body onto Mienshao's body via her arm.

"Infernape!" Ash called out in concern.

"End it with Mach Punch," Seishirou ordered.

The Martial Arts Pokemon whispered her apologies into Infernape's ear before executing the attack. Her arm once again glowed white as she pulled it back and slammed it into Infernape's gut, sending him flying backwards and crashing onto the ground about five feet from where Ash and Niveus was standing.

Ash and his little companion promptly rushed over to Infernape to see if the Flame Pokemon was alright. Said Flame Pokemon gave them a weak and tired smile before collapsing onto the ground in fatigue.

Cilan noticed this and declared, "Infernape is unable to battle. The victor is Mienshao!"

Ash sighed and offered his Infernape words of comfort before returning the Flame Pokemon back into his Poke Ball. The brown-eyed Trainer then stood up, returned to his assigned position and turned to face Seishirou.

"That was amazing. How did your Mienshao get so strong?" Ash asked enthusiastically.

Seishirou shrugged and vaguely replied, "Fresh air and lots of exercise." The sapphire-eyed teen then returned Mienshao back into her Poke Ball.

Ash childishly pouted. "Is he even capable of giving direct answers?" he wondered with annoyance.

* * *

"Wait a minute," Dawn wondered out loud, "how can Ash's Infernape lose after being hit only three times? I'm sure that it's stronger than that."

Max adjusted his glasses before he elaborated, "I can explain. Infernape's downfall began after it was hit by that Force Palm. This caused it to experience a status ailment - paralysis. Then, Ash ordered it to use Close Combat. Though the strength of Infernape's attacks have increased, it had to sacrifice its defence as compensation. In other words, Close Combat is akin to a double-edged sword. Though I doubt a single use of Close Combat would completely shatter Infernape's defence, Seishirou took advantage of that small dip by ordering his Mienshao to use high-powered attacks like Drain Punch and Mach Punch." He paused for a moment before he stated, "From watching that battle, Seishirou was probably thinking at least ten steps ahead of Ash. If my observation proves truthful, then defeating Seishirou would require you to exert every fibre of your being into the battle plus a huge amount of luck."

"Man, could you please use simpler words?" Chris complained. "I'm not saying that I didn't understand you but normal people don't talk like that."

Max smirked. "It's not my fault that you are not bestowed with a high IQ like moi," he boasted.

The prideful boy got another whack to the head for displaying his high-and-mighty attitude.

"Zephyr-san's Mienshao was truly exceptional," Trip stated. "This will indeed be a great educational experience for me."

Michael kept his peace but mentally noted to do a little scouting on Seishirou.

* * *

"Niveus, you ready?" Ash asked his Pikachu.

Niveus simply entered the battlefield on all fours in response to his Trainer's question. Niveus' determination was sky high after hearing Seishirou claim that he was not worthy of facing Caedes. The Pikachu knew deep in his heart that Caedes was stronger than him but that did not mean he did not deserve a battle with the amber-eyed Pikachu. Niveus' goal was set. He was going to defeat whatever Pokemon Seishirou sent out and prove to Caedes that he deserved to battle him.

"Your Pikachu is filled with vigour," Seishirou observed. "Unfortunately, passion alone will not earn him a battle with Caedes. However, I will humour your Pikachu with the next best thing. A battle with Caedes's protege."

"Caedes's protege?" Ash echoed curiously.

"Yes," Seishirou confirmed. The sapphire-eyed teen then lobbed a Poke Ball into the air and watched as it burst open in a bright shade of light to reveal a reptilian Grass-type Pokemon. Most of its body was green in colouration and it had a cream-coloured underside. A yellow stripe ran down the length of its back and tail and it also had yellow markings around its large eyes. Yellow, curved structures protruded from its shoulders and bent backwards. These structures resembled leaves or small wings, as well as a fleur-de-lis when viewed from the back which gave the Pokemon the appearance of wearing a collar. Its slender arms were the same green colour as the rest of its body and had three fingers, while its tiny feet matched its underside in colouration and had no digits whatsoever. It had a large, palmate leaf with three prongs on the end of its tail. It knelt on its right leg as it landed on the ground. Very slowly, it rose and opened its eyelids, revealing grey irises.

Ash tilted his head in confusion. "A Snivy?" he mumbled speculatively. Frankly, he was expecting an Electric-type Pokemon to be Caedes's protege, not a Grass-type Pokemon.

Seishirou merely nodded and introduced the Snivy to everyone present in the area. "Everyone, meet Tsurugi."

The Snivy gazed at the group of people standing outside the battlefield and gave them a subtle nod. He then switched his attention to Niveus who was standing on all fours on the opposite side of the battlefield. The Grass-type Pokemon simply smirked at the Mouse Pokemon and taunted him by raising his right hand and motioned Niveus to come forward.

Niveus sighed. It was like he was facing off against Ash's Snivy again. Still, the Pikachu was grateful that the Snivy in his sights was a male and not a female. Niveus would rather not be hit with another Attract. That was simply embarrassing in the Pikachu's opinion.

"A grey-eyed Snivy," Tripi breathed as he took out his camera and began snapping pictures of the Snivy. "Another great addition to my album."

Max, Dawn, Michael and Chris sweatdropped at Trip's antics, wondering if the blond-haired boy was a little obsessed with taking pictures.

"Niveus, use Thunderbolt," Ash commanded, taking the initiative once again.

The Pikachu proceeded to cross his arms across his chest and began to channel his aura to his cheek muscles. Niveus's body was subsequently surrounded by a bright yellow aura as his red cheeks sparked with electricity. With a determined cry, Niveus let loose three bolts of pure energy towards Tsurugi.

"Dodge and fire multiple Energy Balls towards your opponent," Seishirou countered.

Tsurugi effortlessly sidestepped all three bolts of electricity before forming an Energy Ball in his hands and firing it at Niveus. The Snivy then altered his position on the battlefield before firing another Energy Ball at his opponent. Tsurugi repeated this pattern several times and soon enough, multiple Energy Balls were on a direct collision course with Niveus.

Ash immediately ordered, "Quick, use Agility to avoid those Energy Balls."

Niveus did just that as jumped, rolled and weaved around the Energy Balls with relative ease due to his amazing speed and agility. The green orbs of energy struck Ash's side of the battlefield, marring it with charred black spots.

"Combine Quick Attack with Double Team, Niveus!" Ash instructed, his words laced with determination.

Ash's Pikachu shot forward with an amazing burst of speed whilst creating several copies of himself. The copies plus the real Niveus who was hidden amongst them circled Tsurugi and one would sporadically break from the circle to attack Tsurugi. For a while, Ash's strategy seemed to pay off as Tsurugi was continually hit by the copies and Niveus. However, Tsurugi quickly adjusted to the situation as the Grass Snake Pokemon drew out two vines and swung them around, hitting and therefore cancelling out the copies. Soon enough, one vine made contact with the real Niveus who staggered a bit as he was struck on his cheek. Tsurugi deftly grasped the opportunity as it presented itself. The Grass-type Pokemon promptly shot out a vine and wrapped it around Niveus' body. Tsurugi lifted Niveus and spun him in the air twice before slamming the Pikachu back onto the ground.

"Leaf Blade," Seishirou commanded as soon as Tsurugi retracted his vine.

The leaf on Tsurugi's tail glowed light green as it extended into a sharper form. The Snivy then jumped into the air and began executing a series of front aerials, causing Tsurugi to resemble a circular saw like the ones found in sawmills. Gravity soon came into play as it pulled Tsurugi back down towards Niveus. If the circular saw were to come into contact with Niveus, the battle would surely come to an end. Fortunately for Niveus, Ash quickly devised a counter.

"Niveus, get up and use Iron Tail!" Ash exclaimed.

The Pikachu, with slight difficulty, stood up and his eyes immediately shot upward. Tsurugi was coming in fast. Luckily, Niveus was blessed with a great battle sense as he readied an Iron Tail and performed a back-flip. The silver tail of Niveus grinded against the green tail of Tsurugi. Silver and green energy sparked off the area where their tails came into contact. With supreme effort, Niveus overcame the odds as he pushed against Tsurugi and managed to force the Snivy to do a back-flip in mid-air.

Seeing Tsurugi's stunned state, Ash told Niveus to use his strongest attack. "Volt Tackle, Niveus!"

Once Niveus landed on his feet, he dropped down to all fours and sprinted towards the stunned Tsurugi. Gradually, Niveus's body became cloaked in a bright yellow aura. With ten feet separating him and Tsurugi, Niveus leapt forward and rammed into Tsurugi. The Snivy was blown backwards but since the Grass-type Pokemon was slightly resistant to Electric-based attacks, Tsurugi managed to land on his feet as he skidded backwards. However, the Snivy had a slightly pained expression on his face, signifying that he indeed felt the effects of the Volt Tackle despite the slight resistance to the attack.

* * *

"Man, what a nice fight," Chris remarked. "For a couple of Pokemon who aren't in the final stage of their evolutionary line, they're both putting up quite a show."

"Evolution does not necessarily mean your Pokemon is stronger," Michael argued. "I heard that a Pikachu went toe-to-toe with a Latios in last year's Sinnoh League and the match ended up in a draw. I'd bet that the Pikachu in question is Niveus."

Chris waved off Michael's argument. "That Pikachu must be extremely lucky then. If it were my Charizard, then there would be no luck in question."

"That's not true!" Max defended Ash's Pikachu. "I was there when Ash fought against Brandon, the Pyramid King. Despite being frozen in a block of ice, Ash's Pikachu defied the odds and defeated Brandon's Regice!"

Before Chris could argue with Max further, Michael stated, "There's some truth to Max's words. When my Pikachu, Cloud, defeated Brandon's Regice, he told me that it was the second time his Regice had lost to a Pikachu." He then added, "He also described the Trainer who owned the Pikachu. There is no doubt in my mind that Ash matched Brandon's description."

Chris decided that it was pointless to argue with Max and Michael so he turned his attention back to the battle, his eyes glued on Niveus. He honestly could not believe that a Pikachu could hold its own against a legendary Pokemon. Still, he made a note to look up Niveus's true strength on the Trainer database later.

Trip furrowed his brows in thought. "Hmm... so the hillbilly's Pikachu has experience battling legendary Pokemon," he thought deeply. The blond-haired Trainer's eyes immediately focused on Niveus. "Perhaps I may have misjudged it."

* * *

"Great job, Niveus," Ash praised. "Just keep it up and you'll break your losing streak against the Snivy evolutionary line."

The atmosphere grew very silent when Ash stated that. A tumbleweed rolled past the battlefield, accompanied by the sound of a hollow, dry wind. Niveus slowly turned to look at his Trainer. Not only did Niveus bore a crestfallened expression but the Pikachu was also surrounded by an extremely depressing aura.

"U-um, sorry about t-that," Ash stammered apologetically. "I didn't know you were still bothered by that fact. Hehe."

Niveus simply shot Ash a look of disdain before turning his attention back to Tsurugi. The Snivy had a mocking smile plastered onto his face. The Mouse Pokemon inwardly moaned. He was sure that Tsurugi now had the perfect blackmail material.

Seishirou did not comment on Ash's statement. The sapphire-eyed teen looked down at his own Pikachu, Caedes. The Pikachu in question was regarding the battle with mild interest. Seishirou found it a little odd that a mock battle would stir Caedes's interest, even if it was just by a small fraction.

"It would seem that Niveus has caught your eye," Seishirou stated the obvious.

Caedes stayed silent but Seishirou detected the subtle change in the scarred Pikachu's body language - Niveus had indeed caught Caedes's eye.

"Okay, Niveus. Use Dig," Ash ordered.

Niveus deftly jumped up and burrowed deep into the ground. After several seconds, Niveus appeared behind Tsurugi and launched a Quick Attack. The Pikachu smashed into the Grass Snake Pokemon's back, forcing Tsurugi onto his stomach. The Snivy hissed in slight pain. The effects of the Volt Tackle had not worn off. When Tsurugi turned around, Niveus was already underground. He hissed again, this time in slight annoyance.

The Mouse Pokemon repeated this tactic several times and the frustration was evident on the Grass-type Pokemon's face. Seishirou detected this and advised Tsurugi, "Keep your emotions under wraps, Tsurugi. Just replay all the training you have undergone with Caedes."

The Grass Snake Pokemon took a deep breath and relaxed. He then closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling the vibrations in the ground with his feet. A few pebbles rattled behind the Snivy. Predictably, Pikachu shot out from the ground and launched another Quick Attack. This time however, Tsurugi was ready. The Snivy sidestepped the attack and grabbed hold of Niveus' tail. He spun the Pikachu around twice before slamming him onto the ground, knocking the wind out of the Pikachu, and throwing Niveus back to his side of the battlefield.

"Niveus, you okay?" Ash called out in concern.

Niveus did not give any response to his Trainer's call as he tried to stand up.

"Vine Whip, Tsurugi," Seishirou instructed without giving Niveus a chance to recuperate.

The Snivy caught on to his Trainer's plan as he withdrew two vines and whipped Niveus's knees, sending the Pikachu down to his knees.

"This battle has come to an end," Seishirou announced. "Tsurugi... Shadow Tornado," he commanded in an ominous tone.

"Shadow Tornado?" Ash and the spectators echoed in confusion. They all thought, "Isn't it supposed to be Leaf Tornado?"

Tsurugi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His body suddenly became surrounded by a black aura. When he lifted his eyelids, his eyes were no longer grey in colour. Instead, they were amber in colour like Caedes's eyes. The Snivy promptly jumped into the air and turned upside down before swishing his tail. Rather than a green tornado with glowing leaves, this action formed a purple and black tornado which Tsurugi mercilessly whipped towards Niveus.

Ash could only watch as Niveus was engulfed by the Dark-based tornado and slammed into the ground with great force. Once the tornado subsided, everyone, except Cilan who maintained a professional air and proclaimed Seishirou the winner, rushed onto the battlefield to check on Niveus. Speaking of Niveus, he was lying down, motionless, in a wide crater. Ash immediately jumped into the crater and carefully picked up Niveus.

"Hey, Niveus," Ash called out worriedly. "Speak to me. Are you alright?"

Fortunately, Niveus heard Ash's plea and tiredly cracked open an eyelid. Despite the pain, he even managed to give his Trainer a smile, albeit a faint one.

Ash hugged his Pikachu softly. "Thank Arceus," he sighed in relief.

"Ash," Michael spoke out.

Ash turned to the blue-haired teen to see a Potion being held out towards him. The former accepted the Potion gratefully.

"I forgot to restock my supplies so I can only provide you with a normal Potion," Michael explained with regret. "I'm sorry."

Ash shook his head. "It's fine," Ash assured Michael with a smile. "It's the thought that counts." He then sprayed the Potion on Niveus, particularly around the Pikachu's chest area. The Mouse Pokemon's face scrunched up in pain as the stinging sensation of the Potion began to set in. Still, Niveus felt slightly better. As proof, he jumped down from Ash's arms and stretched his muscles. He staggered a bit but thankfully, Cloud was there to support his weight.

Once he was sure that Niveus would be fine, Ash turned to face Seishirou. Ash noted that Tsurugi was nowhere to be found and guessed that the Snivy must have gone back into his Poke Ball. The brown-eyed Trainer simply thanked the enigmatic teen for the battle and promised that their next battle would be a closer affair.

Seishirou just gave Ash a subtle nod.

A few moments later, Trip replaced Ash as Seishirou's opponent.

Cilan once again acted as the referee. "This will be a two-on-two battle between Trip from Nuvema Town and Zephyr from Castelia City. Substitutions are allowed for both combatants and the battle shall continue until one team of Pokemon is rendered unable to battle. Begin!"

Upon Cilan giving the green light, both Seishirou and Trip each lobbed a Poke Ball into the air and began their clash.

* * *

"Wow," a pink hair girl exclaimed in awe. "This is a huge city. No, 'huge' would do this place an injustice. This is an enormous city. Do you think so too, Altaria?"

_"I agree, Kasumi," _Altaria replied. _"However, I must advise you to not lean over my wings too much since we are in the clouds. I am not responsible should you fall off."_

Kasumi simply shrugged. "You care for me too much, Altaria," she laughingly claimed. "Even if I did fall off your back, I'm sure you would catch me."

Altaria sighed. _"Do not test me, Kasumi," _she warned. To make sure her Trainer got the message, Altaria deliberately tilted to her left. Kasumi began to slide down the Altaria's left wing and would have fallen off if she had not gripped Altaria's neck.

"Okay, okay," Kasumi conceded. "I'm sorry."

Altaria smiled. _"Much better. Now, let us find this 'hotel' place which would provide us with the necessary accomodations. My wings are getting rather heavy," _she said.

Kasumi rolled her eyes and complained, "Jeez, sometimes you act like my mum."

_"I shall take that as a compliment," _Altaria stated. The Humming Pokemon suddenly shot forward in a burst of speed, leaving her Trainer to grip onto her neck for dear life. They have reached their destination: Betwixt Hotel.

* * *

Joshua Nightstorm, or Josh as he would like to be called, sighed for the umpteenth time.

"The paparazzi around these parts sure are persistent," he inwardly moaned. He slowly stood up from the bushes which he was hiding in and scanned his surroundings. There was not a single person with a camera in sight. He sighed again but this time in relief.

Joshua Nightstorm had straight black hair that was tied up in a ponytail, black eyes and a sharp, serious looking face. He stood at a height of five feet ten inches and had the build of an athletic swimmer. He donned a crimson shirt under a black leather jacket, black fingerless gloves, a Poketch on his right wrist, a pair of black pants with a silver chain and running shoes with red and black accents. Also, he had a red and black backpack that was slung over his shoulders and wore black sunglasses.

He was a fairly experienced Pokemon Trainer who had just celebrated his twentieth birthday. Since he started competing in the Pokemon battling circuit at the age of ten, he had won the Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Leagues. He even conquered the Kanto Battle Frontier in record time: one month. Joshua was silently proud over his achievements but there was one thing he could never get used to and that was the paparazzi. He had told them multiple times that he was an introvert and preferred to be left alone but they just would not listen. From the moment he set foot in Caelum City, he was continually hounded by them. Josh led them on a wild-goose chase throughout Caelum City and finally lost them in the park.

The black-eyed teen dusted himself and stepped out of his hiding place. Unfortunately, as soon as he did, he was spotted.

"There he is!" the paparazzi shouted as they came after him with flashing cameras.

In this situation, Josh chose the most sensible option - he ran.

* * *

"With a score of 2-0, the battle goes to Zephyr from Castelia City!" Cilan declared.

With a sigh, Trip returned his fallen Pokemon. He had started off well against Seishirou but he could not keep up the momentum. He admitted that Seishirou was simply too good.

"Thank you very much for the battle, Zephyr-san," Trip said appreciatively. "It was a great educational experience for me."

Seishirou remarked, "For a Pokemon Trainer who has only started his journey a year ago, you did well despite the fact that you lost. You have great potential for growth." He then advised, "Get to know your Pokemon better. You'll then discover the battle style that best suits each of them."

Trip gave Seishirou a slight bow. "I'll take your advice to heart, Zephyr-san," he stated humbly.

"Now then, I would like you and Ash to complete a task for me," Seishirou stated.

"A task?" Ash and Trip echoed in unison.

"Yes," Seishirou confirmed. "This task can only be accomplished by the two of you. You cannot ask for any help whatsoever."

"Hmm... I understand," Cilan said. "I might as well take your Infernape and Niveus to the Pokemon Centre. Potions can only do so much after all."

Ash nodded appreciatively at Cilan before handing him Infernape's Poke Ball and Niveus.

The green-haired teen suddenly felt a tug of his black slacks. He looked down to see Cloud who was looking at him pleadingly.

"It would seem that Cloud wants to go with Niveus," Michael chuckled. He then asked, "Is it okay, Cilan?"

Cilan merely smiled. "Of course."

Michael smiled back. "If you all don't mind," Michael began, "I better start training. See you at the Zenith League draw ceremony." The blue-haired teen then walked away from the group.

Not willing to be outgunned by Michael, Chris announced, "I'm gonna train as well." The tall boy sprinted after Michael, the thought of outdoing the blue-eyed teen in training present in his mind.

Max and Dawn sighed in unison and, after uttering their farewells, followed after the two boys.

Once Cilan departed for the Pokemon Centre with Niveus and Cloud, Ash and Trip were left alone with Seishirou. The enigmatic teen proceeded to hand them an envelope before turning around and walking away.

Ash stared at envelope in his hand nervously. "What do you think is in it?" he asked Trip.

"It doesn't matter," Trip stated nonchalantly. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can get out of my sights."

Ash ignored that last comment and opened the envelope to find a piece of paper in it. He took it out and held it so that Trip may also read whatever was scribbled onto the paper.

"Wait, this is..." Ash and Trip trailed off.

* * *

**Cliffhanger. Sorry but I think I kept you guys waiting long enough.**

**A special thanks to The Fan Fiction Writer, dragonheart234 and Ultimateanimefan17 for lending me your OSs.**

**Hope you guys liked the mock battle between Seishirou and Ash.**

**Also, I want some suggestions on Trip's Pokemon team and Ash's Unova Pokemon. I would deeply appreciate the help.**

**Don't forget to review. :)**

**Sayonara.**


	5. Chapter IV : Zenith League Draw Ceremony

**I really have nothing to say.**

**If you are a reader of Christian faith, Merry Christmas to you. If you are not, simply kick back, relax and be grateful that a chapter has arrived to brighten up your day.**

**Here's Chapter 4.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Caelum City was surrounded by an extremely vast forest. The residents of Caelum City often claim that the forest was equal, if not better, than Viridian Forest in terms of beauty and mystery. Caelum Forest, as it was named, was home to a wide diversity of Pokemon from the herbivorous Deerling to the carnivorous Zangoose and also a wide range of trees from everyday oak trees to mysterious s_akura _trees. During the day, the forest was the perfect place for one to escape the stress in his or her life and experience peace and tranquility. However, Caelum Forest would undergo a change, a metamorphosis some would say, as day made way for night. The forest shed its facade of beauty to become a place of hazard and danger. This factor shooed people away and yet also attracted them. Therefore, it was beyond Ash's comprehension as to why someone, whose true identity was still a mystery to him, would actually consider staying in the forest when one's safety was much more guaranteed within the confines of the city.

Speaking of Ash, he and Trip were currently walking in the forest, searching for Seishirou's residence. Both of them were carrying a combined total of twenty plastic bags; ten per person and five per hand. Each plastic bag was fully loaded with the material scribbled onto the piece of paper that Seishirou had given them. Not only were they forced to wander aimlessly in a forest to search for Seishirou's residence but they had to do so with strain on their shoulders. Besides that, Seishirou did not even give them the directions to his abode.

"Is this really worth our time?" Ash complained as he trudged along one of the numerous paths found in the forest. "We've been wandering in this damn forest for Arceus knows how long and we still haven't found Zephyr's place - if it even exists to begin with!"

"There is no use complaining," Trip said flatly though his voice was laced with fatigue. "We had the option to refuse Zephyr-san's request but we didn't. The least we can do is to see this through since Zephyr-san was gracious enough to allocate some time off his schedule to battle us."

Ash huffed, "I get what you mean but..." The black-haired teen trailed off as he remembered the event that had occurred earlier.

* * *

_"Wait, this is..." Ash and Trip trailed off._

_Both Ash and Trip re-read the words scribbled onto the piece of paper to make sure that their eyes were not deceiving them._

* * *

**_I want you two to obtain these items for me._**

**_Chinese cabbage x10_**

**_Spinach x20_**

**_Deerling meat x30_**

**_Chrysanthemum wine x10_**

**_Eggs x20 (Cartons)_**

**_Eggplant x10_**

**_Milk x10 (Bottles)_**

**_Soy milk x50 (Cartons)_**

**_Miltank meat x15_**

**_Buckwheat noodles x20 (Packets)_**

**_Once you've obtained all the listed items, search for my residence in Caelum Forest. I shall not be providing directions. I want to see just how good your navigational skills are. Think of it as a game. I think that you shall meet me face-to-face in exactly two hours. Prove me wrong and try to find me within the time limit. I may just reward you._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_Zephyr_**

**_P.S. The money is in the envelope._**

* * *

_Ash stared at the piece of paper through half-lidded eyes as he deadpanned, "He wants us to do his grocery shopping." He then ranted, "What sort of task is this? Just look at the quantity of each item! Does he want our arms to fall off?"_

_Trip, ever the calm individual, ignored Ash's rant and snatched the aforementioned envelope from him. The grey-eyed teen looked inside and sure enough, he spotted quite a number of banknotes in it. He took them out and calculated the total amount._

_"Three thousand, nine hundred and eleven Pokedollars," Trip stated. "Given the odd number, Zephyr-san must have calculated the exact amount of money needed to pay for all these items."_

_Ash turned to face Trip. "How can you be so calm about this?" he flabbergasted. "Did it not occur to you that he is simply taking advantage of us?"_

_"Though that may be the case," Trip began, "he did expose our weaknesses and flaws when we battled against him. To me, that educational experience is invaluable compared to a little grocery shopping." He then said, "If you won't accept this task, then I guess I just have to accomplish the task myself." With that said, Trip snatched the shopping list from Ash's hand and walked away from the black-haired teen._

_Ash sighed vehemently. He was actually tempted to let his rival bear all the burden but in the end, his light side won over his dark side. The black-haired Trainer cursed himself for being such a goody-two-shoes._

_"Hey, wait for me!" Ash called out to Trip as he jogged after the grey-eyed teen._

* * *

Ash plopped down onto the ground, utterly exhausted. Beads of sweat were trickling down his chin and he was exhaling ragged breaths. Releasing the bags, he took off his gloves and inspected his hands; they were red and rather swollen. He winced in pain as he massaged them slowly.

Trip regarded Ash with amusement. He mocked, "Tut, tut. I thought country boys had more stamina than this. It would seem that I may have overestimated your capabilities."

"Shut up," Ash tiredly retorted. He inspected his hands again. They were still red but the swelling had gone down a little. When he clenched them into fists, his eyes twitched a little. The pain still had not gone down.

Trip gave out an exasperated sigh and gently set the shopping bags down. He then reached into his sling bag, pulled out a Potion and made his way over to Ash. Kneeling down, he unclenched Ash's hands and sprayed the Potion on them.

"Ah," Ash hissed in slight pain.

Ignoring Ash's cry, Trip quickly pulled out some bandages and wrapped Ash's hands with them. Once he was done, he inspected his work and nodded, clearly satisfied. He then fixed Ash with a knowing look as he suggested, "We should rest for a while. Once the swelling has reduced, we may resume our search for Zephyr-san's residence."

Ash looked at his bandaged hands before giving Trip a grateful smile. "Thank you, Trip," he said softly.

Before Trip could give a reply, the wind suddenly picked up speed as it blew around them, taking Ash's cap for a ride.

"My cap!" Ash exclaimed as he suddenly stood up, inadvertently knocking Trip which made him fell flat on his bottom. The former hastily picked up his half of the shopping bags and ran after his cap which was still being carried by the wind twenty feet in the air. Ash's eyes were fixed solely on his cap as he strayed off the path and ran into the foliage.

Trip just stared at Ash's disappearing form and shook his head. "Unbelievable, his attachment to an inanimate object made him forget that he was in pain a second ago. Such a troublesome fellow." With a mumble about troublesome hillbillies, Trip stood up, dusted himself off and followed after Ash.

It had been thirty minutes since the wind had 'captured' Ash's cap and yet the black-haired boy was still following it. Though Ash's eyes were fixed solely on the cap, he did not have any problems dodging the obstacles. He leapt over roots and ducked branches, his eyes rooted to his cap the entire time. Also, Trip noted that Ash's pace did not increase nor decrease. He was running at a constant speed, carrying ten extremely heavy shopping bags. Trip once again shook his head, this time in faint amazement and minor amusement.

The wind carried the cap to a clearing and effectively died down, therefore relinquishing its hold on the headgear. Said headgear slowly floated down and settled on the ground. A second later, it was picked up, dusted off and placed back onto its original position: Ash's head. Speaking of Ash, his relief turned to pain as the impulses from the pain receptors in his hands were granted entry into his brain. Tears trickled down Ash's cheeks as he once again plopped down onto the ground and fought back the urge to scream in pain.

Trip arrived at the clearing a minute later. The sight of Ash hissing in pain prompted a soft chuckle to escape from the Pokemon Photographer's lips. It was not because he was a masochist of any sort, it was just funny in his opinion to see Ash suffer because of his 'leap-before-you-look' attitude. Trip, whose presence had not even been registered by Ash, walked forward until he was standing beside Ash and scanned the surroundings.

"It would seem that we have reached our destination," the Pokemon Photographer observed.

Ash ignored the pain and lifted his eyelids. Trip was right. They had indeed reached their destination. They were standing in front of a large temple-like house. The house had an extremely large courtyard beautified by the most beautiful flowers from morning glories to hibiscus. The courtyard was also home to two large s_akura_ trees which would explain the pink flower petals showering both Ash and Trip. Besides that, the house and the courtyard were bordered by walls made of smoothen rocks that were cemented together.

Ash could only gape in sheer amazement while Trip shakily took out his camera and snapped a photo of the place.

"I guess we should um... enter," Ash said hesitantly.

Trip merely nodded, still awe-struck by the natural beauty of Seishirou's residence.

Both Pokemon Trainers shakily stepped into the courtyard. They had made it. They had found Seishirou's residence.

* * *

When they stepped into the courtyard, the first thing that their eyes focused on was not the beautiful flowers nor the strange-looking house. Instead, the two pairs of eyes fixed upon a small boy who was busy sweeping the courtyard. He had black hair like Seishirou but it was shorter in length and spiked up rather than brushed down, silver eyes, peach-coloured skin and was about three feet in height. The small youth was wearing small white spectacles, a sleeveless black jacket with a white shirt underneath, a long necklace with the symbol of a pentagram and two fingerless gloves; a white one on his left hand and a black one on his other hand. The way the boy wore them was exactly opposite of the way Seishirou wore his pair. Also, the kid wore white, baggy pants which extended to the middle of his shins and sneakers with blue and white accents. Finally, he wore a blue and white keffiyeh around his neck.

The first thought that crossed Ash's mind was "Is he related to Zephyr in any way? This kid's clothes are very similar yet very different to Zephyr's clothes."

Trip approached the young boy, who stopped his chore when he noticed Trip, and knelt down. "Hello," he greeted. "My name is Trip while the hillbilly behind me is Ash." Ignoring the rant that was directed at him, the Pokemon Photographer then asked, "What is your name?"

"Seito," the boy politely replied in a rather cute tone. "Are you here to see my onii-san?"

"I knew it!" Ash suddenly exclaimed. "You are related to Zephyr."

Seito found the ground more interesting to look at as he shifted from feet to feet. "Actually," he began shyly, "I'm not his blood brother. My onii-san adopted me."

"H-Huh?" Ash stumbled in confusion. He inwardly wondered, "How can this kid be adopted? He looks exactly like Zephyr. Maybe he's lying but the way he said was sincere and... rather cute."

"Ignore him, Sei-chan," Trip suggested to Seito in a polite tone, drawing out a blush from the small boy. "May you take us to see your brother? He asked us to accomplish a task for him." The blond-haired Trainer then showed Seito the shopping bags full of groceries.

Seito's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, you two must be my onii-san's new slaves," he innocently stated.

"Slaves?" Ash and Trip flabbergasted.

"Hehehehe, just kidding," he laughed. "Follow me," he said as he grabbed Trip's arm and led him into the house.

Ash stood motionless, still reeling from becoming prey to Seito's wry sense of humour. Fortunately, the brown-eyed boy managed to shake himself out of his stupor and followed after Seito and Trip.

* * *

Appearances can be deceptive. Ash and Trip found out about this first-hand when they stepped into the temple-like house. Though it looked rather... normal-sized on the outside, it was larger on the inside. Had it not been for Seito who acted as a guide, Ash and Trip would have probably be walking around in circles. They trio walked past many rooms but most of them were bare yet free of any dust and cobwebs. As they journeyed deeper into the house, the rooms they passed got more and more colourful and magnificent. There was an extremely large room which doubled as a garden of sorts. The two guests could tell that the garden was well-maintained as the flowers were blooming beautifully. Also, they passed an art gallery filled with brilliant sculptures and wondrous paintings and a music room occupied by a piano and many violins.

"I thought he said the hotel was too gaudy for his taste but doesn't the place also fit into the gaudy category as well?" Ash whispered his question to Trip.

"Everyone has his or her own eccentricities" was Trip's simple reply.

Seito finally led them into the kitchen. "Just place all the groceries on that food counter over there," Seito said.

Ash and Trip did as they were told. Both Pokemon Trainers breathed sighs of relief, glad that their ordeal was over.

"Do you guys want anything to drink?" Seito asked them as the small youth opened and rummaged the fridge.

The two guests finally noticed that their throats were slightly parched. Before any of them could utter the word 'yes,' Seito took out two bottles of carbonated water from the fridge and handed Ash and Trip one bottle each. Each teen looked at the bottle of carbonated water in his hand; Ash got a bottle of Pepsi while Trip got a bottle of Coca-Cola. The two teenagers stared at Seito incredulously.

"How did you know that this drink was my favourite?" Ash and Trip asked at the same time. Their attention immediately switched to the other, both shocked that they had synchronized.

Seito giggled. He said in a sing-song voice, "It. Is. A. Secret."

Both Ash and Trip half-heartedly glared at Seito. Adopted or not, they were sure that Seishirou's cryptic personality must have rubbed off on Seito. Still, they were a bit grateful that Seito was channelling 'cheerful' cryptic and not 'serious' cryptic. They gradually got rid of their irritation towards Seito as they saw no point in being angry at a small and innocent boy. With their minds cleared of negativity, Ash and Trip drank their respective drinks.

Once the guests had drank their fill, Seito led them deeper into the house. This time, their sights were greeted with something that was scarce the moment they set foot into the house: Pokemon. They saw some Pokemon simply lazing about in a room that was a smaller version of the house's courtyard though it was still very spacious. Next, they passed by the training room. They could tell the function of the room as there were many Pokemon duking it out against one another. The most shocking thing that they saw when they walked pass the room was the sight of Caedes facing off against an Infernape, an Empoleon, a Luxray and a Gabite and was actually pummeling them into the ground effortlessly while instructing them in Pokelanguage. Though Trip only heard '_Pika! Pikachu! Cha!'_ Ash shuddered when he heard the translated version of it.

* * *

_"What was that, Salvo?" _Caedes reprimanded the Infernape._ "You must attack me with the intent of killing me. There's no room for mercy in battle."_

_"This is the extent of your training?" _Caedes chided the Luxray._ "I'm disappointed. Twenty laps around the training room once I'm done with you."_

_"Don't even bother fantasizing about becoming a Garchomp if you can't even lay a claw on me," _the Pikachu scolded the Gabite._ "Honestly, you are pathetic. What happened to your drive?"_

_"You are an embarrassment to all Empoleon out there," _Caedes mocked the Emperor Pokemon._ "I thought they took pride over their power to overcome adversity. I guess overturning a type-disadvantage must be to difficult for you."_

_"Attack me again," _Caedes commanded in a venomous tone._ "I expect a better performance this time around."_

The objects of Caedes's displeasure immediately shot themselves at the Pikachu with renewed vigour.

* * *

Beads of sweats formed on Ash's forehead. He now understood why Max was so terrified of Caedes. The brown-eyed teen was not sure whether or not his Pokemon would even survive training under Caedes. He was not given much time to ponder about it as he, Trip and Seito were standing in front of a pair of _shōji_ doors. Shinichi wordlessly placed both his hands on each _shōji_ door and glanced over his right shoulder. Ash and Trip nodded at the silver-eyed boy. Seito nodded back and slid the doors aside.

Their senses of sight and smell were immediately assaulted by a strange fog. The fog stung their eyes, making their vision slightly blurry. The fog also had a strange fragrant smell to it. Ash and Trip recognized the smell almost instantly; it was the smell of roses in the form of incense.

The fog gradually began to subside. Ash and Trip strained their eyes and spotted a figure resting on a coach. When the fog dissipated fully, the figures features became crystal-clear. It was Seishirou. The enigmatic teen was sitting down on a couch with his right leg over his left leg with an exotic-looking pipe occupying the fingers of his right hand. He was donning a fancy pair of midnight-blue slacks and black leather shoes with black socks. On a subtle note, he was... shirtless, revealing his toned body to Ash and Trip. A single word escaped from his lips as he gazed apathetically at his guests.

"Welcome."

Ash gave Seishirou a look of disdain. He hissed, "That's it? We went through all that trouble just to do your grocery shopping and all you can say is 'welcome.' Don't we deserve any credit or a simple 'thank you?'"

Seishirou took a puff of his pipe before fixing Ash with an icy look. "I do not understand all this irritation that is emitting from you," Seishirou said. "I simply asked you for a favour. You had the option of refusing but you didn't. You brought this upon yourselves."

Ash opened his mouth to retort but no words came out. He gritted his teeth and inwardly grumbled. Though he hated to admit it, Seishirou was right. It was his own fault that he got wrapped up in this situation. Had he been a little more assertive to Trip, he would have avoided going through all those torturous hours in the forest.

The mysterious host switched his attention to the youngest person in the room. "Have you provided them with the necessary refreshments?" he asked Seito.

"Yes, onii-san," Seito replied.

"Good, good," he commended the youngster.

Trip suddenly stepped forward. "If there is nothing else, then I guess we should take our leave," he told Seishirou. After giving Seishirou a slight bow, he grasped Ash's collar and began to drag the disgruntled Pokemon Trainer out of the room.

"Wait," Seishirou stopped them. "Before you leave, may I see the devices on your wrists?"

Both Ash and Trip regarded Seishirou with looks of confusion.

Seishirou held out his hand and prodded, "Quickly please."

Though hesitant, they gave into Seishirou's order and gave him the aforementioned devices.

Seishirou retracted his arm and looked at the devices in his hand; Trip gave him his Xtransceiver while Ash gave him his Poketch. He remarked, "Nice devices you got here."

Ash and Trip stayed silent but readied themselves just in case Seishirou said something... unexpected.

"If you don't mind, I shall be keeping them," Seishirou stated casually.

"Hold on one moment!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs. "What right do you have to simply take away my Poketch?"

"I wish to know the reason as well, Zephyr-san," Trip queried the enigmatic teen.

Seishirou vaguely and calmly elaborated, "As payment for the battles, of course."

"Payment?" Ash and Trip echoed in confusion.

Seishirou continued, "In order for you to gain something of value, the price can be anything of equal value. Nothing greater can be gained nor lost. The perfect value. Equal... and balanced. Failure to follow this rule with result in harm."

"To what?" Trip asked hesitantly.

The host simply reached out and caressed Ash's neck, sending shivers down his spine. He mysteriously answered, "Your spacial existence... your divined fate... and your heavenly spirit."

When Seishirou pulled back his arm, Ash snapped out of his trance-like state. "What does all that even mean?" he screamed while flailing his arms wildly. "What about the task you gave us? Isn't that sufficient payment?"

Seishirou turned his nose up into the air. "That was a different matter all together," he replied.

"Oh, how so?" Ash questioned acidly.

"The grocery shopping was simply a favour you did out of the goodness of your heart," Seishirou responded calmly as he narrowed his eyes at Ash, causing the teen to take a step back in fear. "Favours do not require any compensation whatsoever."

"But still" was all Ash managed to say before he received a smack on the head, courtesy of a certain Pokemon Photographer.

Trip chided him sternly, "Calm down. Your excessive yelling is giving everyone in this room a migraine. Does that Poketch really mean the world to you? Can't you just buy another one?" The blond-haired Trainer then sighed vehemently. "Honestly, you're infuriating. I cannot believe that I thought for a moment that you were actually bearable." Trip gave Seishirou an apologetic look as he said, "I apologize on his behalf, Zephyr-san. Though I'm rather dissatisfied, I accept your reasoning. You were kind enough to give me a battle and to me, that is priceless compared to my Xtransceiver."

Ash simply looked down, stunned by Trip's outburst and ashamed of himself for acting in such a childish manner.

Seishirou took a puff of his pipe and nonchalantly stated, "There is no need for apologies. I've dealt with people who do not know how to show respect to their elders."

Ash flinched, knowing that Seishirou was referring to him.

"Seito, please escort our guests out," Seishirou instructed his brother. "They wouldn't want to be late for the Zenith League draw ceremony."

"Okay, onii-san," Seito said respectfully. The silver-eyed boy then led the two guests out of the room. Sensing that Ash was still depressed, he patted the Trainer's back whilst offering words of comfort.

Seishirou was left alone in the room. Though, he was not alone for very long.

_"My, my, such a volatile one," _a voice observed. _"I really pity you for having to put up with those kind of people."_

The object of the voice's pity simply flipped his hair, unperturbed by the voice's sudden appearance. "Your pity is unnecessary, Xander," he stated.

On cue, a Zoroark appeared in the room with a purple flash. The Zoroark gazed after Ash and Trip's disappearing forms, especially the former's.

_"Hmm... the hot-headed human seems familiar somehow," _Xander uttered with a formal tone with a rather mocking undertone._ "It is so frustrating. It is akin to a fleeting dream, slowly slipping from my grasp." _The Illusion Fox Pokemon then turned to his Trainer of nine years. _"Can't you use some of your magic mumbo-jumbo to unlock my memories? I know that you're capable of doing so."  
_

"If I did that, there shall be grave consequences," Seishirou told the Zoroark. "Since you are in a unique position, any tampering with those hidden memories of yours will disrupt the balance of the universe. You have to find a 'spark' that will trigger the release of your memories on your own."

Xander sighed. _"Fine," _he conceded.

"In any case, shouldn't you be training?" Seishirou queried Xander. "Caedes will not stand for your tardiness."

_"Hmph, is it wrong for me to bring a little 'spark' to this group of training freaks?" _Xander responded smoothly._ "I miss the good old days. Caedes was much more carefree and innocent. It's getting increasingly hard to tamper with his emotions. Hmph, no matter. If all else fails, I'll just use my trump card."_

Seishirou drawled, "Do what you want with him. Both of you are mature enough to know the repercussions of your actions." He then gave Xander a mischievous smirk. "Speaking of Caedes, could you bring him here? His outfit for the upcoming event is ready."

_"Hehehehe," _Xander snickered hauntingly._ "You wish is my command, Seishirou-sama." _Acknowledging his Trainer's command, the Zoroark jumped up and disappeared with a purple flash.

Seishirou slowly leaned into the soft couch and blew a few rings of smoke into the air. "It would seem... that I shall cross paths with an old acquaintance," he predicted.

* * *

Day gradually made way for night. The stars were shining brightly, illuminating the city and preventing it from being swallowed up by the darkness. The stars also served as guides for the participants of the Zenith League who were making their way towards the designated area where the Zenith League draw ceremony shall be taking place; Thanatos Hall. In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the daemon personification of death though most of the participants were rather ignorant of Greek mythology. In other words, they thought that Thanatos was just a fancy word and did not hold any special meaning.

The name of the hall did not reflect its appearance. The exterior of the hall was beautiful rather than dreadful. The hall was rectangular in shape and the roof was in the shape of a cylinder sliced in half. Like Wuji Stadium, it was made out of marble though the marble used was a different variant, giving the hall a greenish blue appearance. The outer walls of the hall were decorated with medieval-inspired wall lamps. Overall, the exterior of the hall was a combination of past, represented by the wall lamps, and present, represented by the greenish blue marble.

"Wow, this place is just as magnificent as the hotel!" Dawn, who was wearing a light blue evening gown, exclaimed.

Max frowned. "I can't agree with the name though," he stated. "Thanatos Hall literally means The Hall of Death." The young bespectacled boy was donning a dark green dinner jacket over a white dress shirt, a green tie, dark green slacks and a pair of black leather shoes.

Chris clasped Max shoulder and cajoled, "Aw, stop being such a mood killer. Just let loose and have fun. After tonight, there won't any time for fun and games."

Max looked up at Chris and smiled. "Thanks, Chris."

"No prob, buddy," Chris chimed with a toothy grin. The giant's formal attire was just as simple as his casual wear. He wore an ordinary black blazer over a white dress shirt, a black tie, black trousers and black sneakers.

"Speaking of mood killers," Michael spoke up, "what about the one standing next to me?" The blue-haired teen, who donned a long-sleeved polo shirt under a black coat, black pants and a pair of shiny black leather shoes, gave Ash a look of exasperation.

Ever since Ash had returned from Seishirou's residence, he had been very moody and depressed. Everyone, with the exception of Trip, tried to cheer him up but their concern did little to alleviate his mood. He literally had to be dragged from the hotel when he informed them that he did not want to go to the event.

"Get it together, Ash," Cilan consoled his friend. Since he dressed formal all the time, he had his casual attire on. "I am positively sure that Zephyr is not the type of person to be mad at someone over a small matter like this. When you meet him, just apologize. If you're sincere, then I'm sure he's willing to overlook your mistake."

_"Yeah, Ash," _Niveus agreed with Cilan as the Mouse Pokemon rubbed his cheek against Ash's. _"Though he scares me, he is not evil. He has a forgiving heart... I think. Maybe. Look, just say 'sorry' when you meet him, 'kay?"_

Ash, who was still found the ground more interesting to observe, wordlessly nodded with absolutely no enthusiasm.

Everyone sighed and dragged him into the hall.

* * *

The first thing that one would notice when he or she stepped into the hall was the giant chandelier attached to the ceiling. The chandelier was made from approximately one hundred thousand crystals and valued at about half a billion Pokedollars. For the Pokemon League Organization, half a billion Pokedollars was like pocket money. There were rows and rows of extremely long tables and various types of food occupied them from caviar to steak. The sight of food would normally make Ash drool like a Growlithe but once again, he was too depressed to even think of his most favourite thing in the world. On the other hand, his depressed state made him into a complete gentleman. For once in his life, he took care of his table manners and only ate sparingly. Max, Dawn and Cilan, who were used to seeing Ash show his ravenous side at the sight of food, they did not know whether to feel grateful or worried.

Thanatos Hall also had an extremely large and wide JumboTron screen which would be used to display the draw. There was a podium on a stage below the screen where the President of the PLO would make his speech and kick start the Zenith League. However, both the Zenith League draw ceremony and the speech would take place later in the night: twelve o'clock midnight to be exact. As this was the case, the JumboTron screen and the stage were ignored for the time being.

The VIPs - namely the Champions, the Elite Four of each region plus the Frontier Brains - got the third floor of the hall all to themselves. Some of the VIPs would rather mingle with the other Pokemon Trainers than be stuck on the third floor. Those VIPs included Bertha, Flint, Drake and Alder. Bertha and Drake generally disliked being called members of the Elite Four and would rather be treated like any other Trainer whereas Flint and Alder grew restless from being stationed to one particular spot. It was rather hard to contain their 'wild' sides anyway.

"So, Lucian, do you spot any interesting Pokemon Trainers below?" Caitlin, the Psychic-type specialist of the Unova Elite Four, asked her Sinnoh counterpart. She was rather fond of Lucian not only because he preferred Psychic-type Pokemon but his personality mirrored her's as well. In her opinion, Marshal had a brain the size of a pea while Grimsley and Shauntal were just too dark and gloomy for her tastes.

Lucian observed the people below before turning his attention back to his book. "All of them are strong Pokemon Trainers," he claimed. "Otherwise, they would not have gotten their invitation letters. As for the interesting ones... they are rather scarce."

Caitlin sighed tiredly. "This is a waste of my time," she stated. "I cannot believe that Alder woke me up from my peaceful slumber. There is no point in me being here if all of these Pokemon Trainers are the dull and boring types."

"Wait for a moment," Lucian suggested. "I've a feeling that an interesting one shall be arriving soon."

"...I suppose I will take you word for it," Caitlin drawled.

In another section of the third floor, a conversation between Champions was taking place.

"Hello there, Miss Cynthia," Wallace, the Hoenn Champion, greeted. "I trust that you are well. How's Professor Carolina?"

The blonde smiled at her Hoenn counterpart. "She's doing just fine though she is still rather outspoken. She still won't stop asking people to battle me. I still get pretty embarrassed when she boasts of my achievements."

Wallace chuckled softly. "It is only natural for her to be proud of her granddaughter. When I became Champion, Juan could have never been any happier," he told Cynthia.

Both Champions laughed in unison.

"All that aside, how do you rate your chances of winning this tournament?" Wallace asked curiously, changing the subject of conversation.

Cynthia kept her smile on her face though her eyes now held a little cockiness. "Since there's going to one hundred and eighty-nine competitors, each will have a zero point five per cent chance of winning. As for me, I would rate my chances at winning this tournament at one per cent," she answered.

"My, aren't you a fine mathematician?" Wallace casually mocked.

In a dark corner of the third floor, a brooding individual gazed at his goblet. It contained a crimson-coloured liquid which looked like blood. He swirled the liquid with his index finger before he retracted the limb and licked it.

The Dark-type specialist's blue eyes then shot towards the entrance of the hall. "It would seem that an interesting individual has appeared."

* * *

When the doors of the hall creaked open, every occupant of the hall fixed their attention upon the entrance. They saw three individuals: two humans and one Pokemon. The taller human wore a black dress shirt with a turn-down collar under a midnight-blue dinner jacket, black leather gloves, a black bow-tie, a pair of midnight-blue slacks and black leather shoes. Besides that, he wore a white mask that displayed an extremely sinister smile. The smaller human's outfit was a colour-negative of the masked individual's outfit. Instead of a mask, the young boy wore a monocle over his left eye and a white fedora hat. Though the two humans' outfits were rather, for lack of a better word, eye-catching, most eyes were focused on the Pokemon on the masked individual's shoulder. The Pokemon - which was a Pikachu - wore a long black cloak that was secured by a golden chain that snaked across its chest and a silver necklace with a symbol of an arrow shot between a pair of wings that rested on the white cravat tied around its neck. The most disturbing part of the Pikachu was its eyes; they were bright amber in colour and had black slits for pupils. Most of the people in the hall thought that the Pikachu was wearing contacts but on second glance, those eyes looked too real to be contacts.

_"This looks ridiculous on me," _Caedes grumbled. _"I look like a vampire."_

The white-garbed Seito Syuusuke advised cheerfully, "Stop being such a killjoy, Caedes." He added, "If it makes you feel any better, both me and onii-san also look like villains."

_"Indulge me with an explanation," _Caedes prodded, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Unfortunately for Caedes, Seito did not understand sarcasm as he elaborated gleefully, "While you look like a vampire, I look like a gentleman thief while onii-san looks like a demented serial killer."

Caedes gave Seito a deadpan glare. The Pikachu mocked,_ "You've quite the active imagination."_

"Here's the plan," Seishirou spoke for the first time since entering the hall. "The 'gentleman thief' shall frolic around the hall and charm those of the opposite sex while the 'vampire' will watch over the 'gentleman thief' from the shadows. Meanwhile, the 'demented serial killer' shall search for his prey."

Before Caedes could protest, Seishirou picked him up by his neck and placed him onto the floor. The 'demented serial killer' then walked forwards, causing the crowd to make way and distance themselves from him. They would rather not be killed by the 'demented serial killer.'

The Pikachu shut his eyes to calm himself before gazing upon his Trainer's younger brother. _"Go have fun," _Caedes told Seito. _"I'll keep an eye on you."_

Seito winked gratefully at the Pikachu before skipping away to a section of the hall which had a high concentration of female Pokemon Trainers.

With the 'demented serial killer' and the 'gentleman thief' gone, all eyes focused on the 'vampire.' Said 'vampire' had his arms folded across his chest and his right foot tapping the ground. Suddenly, the 'vampire' ceased the tapping. He unfolded his arms and put on an evil smirk, causing the crowd to back away in fear, before disappearing with a purple flash.

"Do you still regret coming here, Caitlin?" Lucian queried his Unova counterpart after witnessing Seishirou's entrance.

Caitlin gave Lucian a small smile. "Not anymore."

"Should I call security?" Lance, the Kanto and Johto Champion, mumbled worriedly. "We could have a murderer within our midst."

Bertha heard Lance's mumbling and pulled his ear, eliciting an 'ouch' from the red-haired Champion. "Stop judging books by their covers, young man," she chastised Lance. "In my opinion, that young lad has a better fashion than you. That cape of yours is really an eyesore."

* * *

An emerald-eyed teen observed the Pokemon Trainers on the first floor from a balcony on the second floor. Whereas most people would let loose and have fun during these types of events, Eclipse Silverline was not included in that list. Rather than mingle with the other guests, he chose to scout out his competition. It was not like he disliked socializing with others, it was just that he was very cautious due to an unfortunate incident that occurred two years ago. The silver-haired Pokemon Trainer did not want to be taken advantage upon again, setting up his cold persona. He donned a white suit that had blue markings along the sides of the sleeves and pants and custom-made leather shoes with black and white accents. He was also holding a black walking stick with a white handle.

One of the Pokemon Trainers that caught his eye was a fair-haired girl. She wore a sleeveless, crushed velveteen dress in the colour of deep red. The empire waistline and raised hemline gave it a baby-doll silhouette. It had a scoop neck in the front and a racer back. She also wore a decorated headband. It featured a structured net and satin rose to one side, augmented by an over-sized net bow and feather accents. On her wrists were silver bangles which made pretty clinking sounds whenever she moved her hands. For shoes, she had chosen a pair of classic black satin pumps. Her makeup was nothing more than a dramatic smokey eye with eyelids thickly ringed in black eyeliner.

His eyes scanned the crowd again before settling on a purple-haired girl. She wore a slim, yet hip and breast hugging red dress with a split on the left side up to her knee and a plunging neck line. The dress had a train and trailed along the floor behind her. She also donned a pear necklace, pearl earrings as well as bright red lipstick and bright red stiletto shoes.

Dirty thoughts started to creep into his head but he managed to shake them off. He closed his eyes and reminisced about his younger days. He thought of how happy he was when he was with his mother who died before he could begin his journey. Next, he thought of how boring the journey became when there was no one who could give him and his Pokemon a challenge, save for one individual who mysteriously disappeared.

"'It has been awhile' is what I would like to say," a voice behind Eclipse remarked, "however I do not know how long it has been for you since time is interpreted in various and different ways."

Eclipse flinched but managed to retain his composure. He slowly turned around to face the owner of the rather familiar voice. Said owner wore a masked that had a very disturbing and sinister smile.

"You haven't change at all... Seishirou Syuusuke," Eclipse monotoned.

Seishirou smirked in amusement behind his mask. "Neither have you... Eclipse Silverline," he countered smoothly.

The silver-haired teen sent a faint smile in Seishirou's direction. He wondered out loud, "How long has it been since we last cross paths? Five years, was it?"

"Yes," Seishirou confirmed. "I did not expect you to be here of all places seeing as you have always avoided the major Pokemon Leagues."

"A little Pidgey told me that he had managed to convince you to come out of retirement," Eclipse told Seishirou. "That was all the encouragement I required."

Seishirou frowned beneath his mask. "Would I be right to assume that this 'little Pidgey' goes by the name of Charles Goodshow?"

When he received a nod from Eclipse, Seishirou stated, "That man is such a nuisance at times."

Speaking of Charles Goodshow, the seventy-year-old man who wore a red shirt, brown shorts and a baseball cap stepped up onto the podium on the stage and coughed a few times into the microphone, catching the attention of all the Pokemon Trainers in the hall.

"A very good evening to all of you," Mr. Goodshow greeted, his voice amplified by the usage of the microphone. "As all of you know, my name is Charles Goodshow and I am the President of the Pokemon League Organization. I would to welcome all of you the inaugural Zenith League that shall take place here, in the wondrous Caelum City!" The occupants of the hall applauded and cheered upon his declaration. When the noise had toned down, Mr. Goodshow continued, "I shall now explain the format of the tournament. Firstly, all of you shall be separated into groups of three. Overall, there are sixty-three groups which would mean that one group shall have four Pokemon Trainers. A round-robin format shall be implemented whereby a Trainer will face off against the other members of his or her group only once in three-on-three battles. Winners will get three points while losers won't get any. For battles that end in a draw, both competing Trainers will receive one point. The Trainers that top their group shall advance to the round of 64. For the group that holds four Trainers, the top two shall advance. After the group stages, the winners shall be randomly paired off against one another. This system shall continue up until the semi-finals. For the round of 64 and 32, Trainers will use four Pokemon each while five Pokemon shall be used in the round of 16 and quarter-finals. Finally, a full six-on-six battle format shall be implemented in the semi-finals and final." He then took a deep breath before exclaiming, "Let the Zenith League draw ceremony commence!"

The large JumboTron screen behind him came alive as the participants were sorted into their respective groups, starting with Group I. Once a group contained enough Trainers, the names of the members of the group were enlarged on the wide JumboTron screen.

* * *

**GROUP II**

**Cynthia**

**Lorelei**

**Agatha**

**GROUP V**

**Christopher 'David' Moore**

**Morrison**

**Macy**

**GROUP XX**

**Max Maple**

**Conway**

**Jackson**

**GROUP XXII**

**Michael 'Silver' Moonwell**

**Avrey Wilson**

**Marina**

**GROUP XXXI**

**Trip  
**

**Dante Clique**

**Tyson**

* * *

"Hmm... I suppose I have a workable group," Max observed.

Michael noted, "I've heard of an Avrey Wilson before. According to my sources, his family members were all top Pokemon Trainers so I would guess they've given him some pointers. I really have my work cut out for me."

"Sweet!" Chris exclaimed. "My passage to the round of 64 is guaranteed. I can beat those guys, no sweat."

Ash looked at Trip's name. "Man, Trip sure is unlucky. He has a regional Champion in his group."

* * *

**GROUP XXXIII**

**Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum**

**Jeanette Fisher**

**Pike Queen Lucy**

**GROUP XXXX**

**Annalyn 'May' Moonwell**

**Eclipse Silverline**

**Joshua Nightstorm**

**GROUP XXXXI**

**Alder**

**Bruno**

**Drake**

* * *

"Oh, great," Ash sighed. "I have a Frontier Brain in my group."

Cilan prevented Ash from getting even more depressed by reminding him that he had beaten Lucy and Jeanette Fisher before. The green-haired teen then turned to Michael who was gazing at the screen in pure hatred.

"Michael, what's wrong?" Cilan asked worriedly.

Cilan did not get a verbal response as Michael slammed his fist onto a table and made his way to the exit of the hall.

Dawn called out after him, "Wait up, Michael." When he did not acknowledge her, she picked up her purse and jogged after her childhood friend.

Eclipse gazed at the JumboTron screen and smirked. "They are not even worth my time," he said.

Seishirou deadpanned, "Regardless of what you think about them, you still have to battle them."

"I know that," Eclipse replied.

* * *

**GROUP XXXXIX**

**Flint**

**Rhoslyn Reyes**

**Koga**

**GROUP XXXXX**

**Neriah Renascence**

**Barry**

**Nando**

* * *

"Alright, it is now time to display the group which will hold four Pokemon Trainers!" Charles Goodshow announced. "First, show the name of the Trainer that has not been grouped yet."

* * *

**SEISHIROU 'ZEPHYR' SYUUSUKE**

* * *

"That man is digging his own grave," Seishirou stated venomously. "I specifically told him to keep me out of the spotlight. Can this get any worse?"

Seishirou should not have said that as the situation got worse, for him anyway.

"For those of you of who are unfamiliar with this Trainer, here is some footage from the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn Leagues five years ago," Mr. Goodshow presented.

"I think it just did," Eclipse deadpanned.

The footage showed a fourteen-year-old Seishirou facing off against more experienced opponents. The Kanto League footage showed him using Noctis, his very first Pokemon, and the Umbreon was simply decimating the opponent's Pokemon. A Pikachu was featured in the Johto League footage and it was facing off against a Tyranitar. Finally, the Hoenn League footage depicted Xander completely butchering a Blaziken.

"Man, this kid is really something," Alder, the Unova Champion, remarked seriously.

Grimsley, the Dark-type specialist, smiled dangerously. "It would seem that this boy champions Dark-type Pokemon as well," he observed. "Hmm... even the Pikachu seemed well-versed in Dark-based attacks."

"My Arceus," Flint, the Fire-type member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, gasped. "I thought Ash's Pikachu was strong but this Pikachu made his look like a total beginner."

"Holy shit!" Chris flabbergasted. "Those are some pretty awesome Pokemon."

Max narrowed his eyes at JumboTron screen, specifically at the footage of the Pikachu and Tyranitar. "That Pikachu doesn't look like the one Seishirou had on his shoulder earlier," he muttered. "The colour of its irises are different and the diagonal scar is absent." The Hoenn native inwardly pondered, "Did Seishirou replace that Pikachu with Caedes? If he did, then what was his motive? Based on the footage, the former was strong - strong enough to hold its own against a Tyranitar no less."

Ash absentmindedly tapped his chin. "So his real name is Seishirou," he told himself. "I probably should nail that name deep in my head when I apologize to him."

"Okay!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed, stopping the footage in the process. "Now, the group that Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke shall compete in is-"

* * *

**GROUP I**

**Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke**

**Cole Harding**

**Jay 'Stella' Ziroc**

**Kasumi Ryu**

* * *

"-Group I!" he finished. "Regarding the schedule of the matches, Groups I to XXXII shall have their first matches tomorrow in the stadiums located in the Yang region while Groups XXXIII to XXXXXXIII shall be competing in the stadiums located in the Yin region the day after tomorrow. After no fewer than three rest days, the Yin groups' matches shall resume proceedings, followed by the matches of the Yang groups. It should be noted that the resting period between matches shall be maintained after the tournament shifts into the single-elimination phase in the interest of looking after the well-being of the competitors and their Pokemon. Remember that you must have your team registered before each match. You can do that at the personal computers of your hotel rooms." With that said, Mr. Goodshow turned and left.

"It would seem that you shall be competing in the first match of the Zenith League," Eclipse observed. "That's quite an honour, don't you think?"

When the silver-haired Trainer glanced over his shoulder, Seishirou was gone.

"Good luck, Seishirou," he said softly.

* * *

Far away from Thanatos Hall, Seishirou entered his bedroom, carrying a sleeping Seito. He slowly laid his younger brother down onto the soft bed and threw a blanket over him. Once the cryptic teen tucked Seito in, he pushed away a few strands of his brother's hair and gave him a small peck on the forehead.

"Good night, Seito," he said lovingly.

Seishirou then exited the room. As he walked along the verandah of his house, he thought, "Five years is a long time. I wonder... Can my passion be ignited once again?" Stopping as he caught sight of the moon, he chuckled briefly before he resumed his steps forward.

"Well, I suppose we will all find out when tomorrow comes, won't we?"

* * *

**Finished. Finally, I can start on the battles.**

**It would seem that Xander is implied to have known Ash. Hmm...**

**A special thanks to KingFatMan25, cry no more xx and jakeeboi13 for their OCs.**

**Read and review. :)**

**P.S. I still need suggestions on Trip's Pokemon and Ash's Unova Pokemon.**


	6. Chapter V : The Dark Enigma Returns

**The battles shall commence starting from this chapter with fillers in between.**

**Speaking of battles, there will be some that end in landslide victories like 3-1, 4-1, 5-2 et cetera et cetera. If your OC is on the losing end, then I apologize. Relatively speaking, it is hard for me to write tight battles all the time. My battles are rather long and very descriptive. It pleases and annoys me at the same time. **

**On a side note, I cannot please everyone so battles that end in draws shall be scarce. That will make me appear as if I am indecisive.**

**Not every OC shall advance from the group stages. Sorry but that is the way it has to be.**

**Happy reading.**

* * *

The Sun rose from its slumber and breathed life into Caelum City. Many people were looking forward to this particular day as it was the day in which the Zenith League shall officially start. As this was the case, the residents of Caelum City and the visiting fans woke up as early as possible so that they can get seats in the stadiums to cheer on their favourite Pokemon Trainers. Speaking of Pokemon Trainers, most of the ones that were competing on this particular day were out of their beds since the crack of dawn. This will not only provide ample time for the participants to register their team but also to think of strategies and do some last-minute training.

One of the participants competing on the first day was Cole Harding. He had brown hair that was spiked up, blue eyes, caucasian skin and a small scar on his left cheek. He was wearing a white shirt under a black jacket, a yin and yang necklace, blue jeans and white sneakers. Having already done some light training with his Pokemon earlier, the fourteen year-old was back in his hotel room to a bit of research on his first opponent on the Trainer database using the provided laptop. That opponent went by the name of Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke.

Cole switched on the laptop and inserted his Zenith League ID card into a slot located on the side of the laptop. He then typed in his ID number and the Trainer database popped up on the screen of the laptop. Using the mouse, he moved the cursor to the 'SEARCH' box and clicked the left button of the mouse before typing 'SEISHIROU ZEPHYR SYUUSUKE'. He promptly pressed 'ENTER' and several options appeared on the screen like 'PERSONAL INFO' and 'POKEMON'. The brown-haired boy clicked on 'POKEMON' almost immediately. On cue, a window, which displayed all of Seishirou's Pokemon, popped up. After giving it some thought, Cole clicked on 'Pikachu'. After watching the footage at the Zenith League Draw, Cole was curious on Seishirou's Pikachu's strength. Several seconds later, Caedes' data popped up on the screen.

* * *

**PIKACHU**

**NICKNAME : CAEDES 'UMBRA' TELUM**

**STATS**

**OFFENCE : UNKNOWN**

**DEFENCE : UNKNOWN**

**SPECIAL ATTACK : UNKNOWN**

**SPECIAL DEFENCE : UNKNOWN**

**STAMINA : UNKNOWN**

**SPEED : UNKNOWN**

**OVERALL BATTLE LEVEL : UNKNOWN**

* * *

Cole furrowed his brows in slight irritation. He went back a page and clicked on 'Zoroark'. The Illusory Fox Pokemon's data was similar to Caedes' data. The Zoroark's stats were unknown as well. The blue-eyed boy sighed vehemently as his patience was wearing thin. He decided to make one more attempt and clicked on 'Charmander'. Cole did not believe in the saying 'third time's the charm' but in this situation, he was hoping that the third time would be the charm. Unfortunately, his hopes were squashed as the data of Seishirou's Charmander, nicknamed Ryujin, was the same as the previous two. All of the Lizard Pokemon's stats were listed as 'UNKNOWN'.

The brown-haired teen finally snapped and banged the desk with his fist, disregarding the pain that shot up his arm. He mumbled, "Just great. The Trainer database doesn't have anything on this guy. I haven't a clue on how strong his Pokemon are but based on the footage Mr. Goodshow presented last night, they must be powerful." Cole tapped the desk with his fingers and thought, "I guess this is expected since he has been away from the Pokemon battling circuit for nine years."

He leaned back into his chair and calmed himself. "It doesn't matter anyway," he stated offhandedly. "I'm still going to win regardless of the fact that this guy has more experience than me."

With that said, Cole went back to the home page and registered his team for the battle against Seishirou. He then stood up, dusted himself off and walked towards the door. After exiting his room, he made his way towards a stadium in the Yang region where he shall duel with Seishirou.

"The old shall make way for the new," he said with conviction.

* * *

In complete contrast to Cole, Seishirou had just exited the realm of dreams and lifted his eyelids. "A dream?" he wondered softly.

Seito, who was awaken by his brother's soft voice, shifted under the covers and glanced up at Seishirou. He groggily yet worriedly asked, "Is there something wrong, onii-san?"

"It's nothing," Seishirou denied. "It was just a dream."

"A nightmare?" Seito thought aloud.

Seishirou flatly answered, "A kind of dream that you would wish it to be just a dream..., I guess."

The silver-eyed youth's eyes flashed with worry. "Can I do anything?"

Seishirou smiled and hugged his brother. "Staying with me like this is enough," he replied. The cryptic teen then kissed his brother's forehead, eliciting a giggle from the younger boy.

That kiss seemed to have got rid of Seito's sleepiness as he eagerly asked, "So what do you want to do today, onii-san? Do you want to sleep with me more?"

"I would most certainly like to," he said apologetically, "but-" He paused for moment as he ran a hand down the middle of his hair and flipped it. Seishirou then shot Seito an amused glance as he finished, "-I have to attend an important business meeting."

* * *

Having already cooked breakfast for Seito and his Pokemon, Seishirou now sat on a rattan chair on the front porch of his house. Though he had been doing it for nine years, he was still pretty amazed at himself for cooking for one human and about fifty Pokemon without losing his mind. It helped that he considered cooking a hobby..., if not a whimsical one. Seishirou's Espeon, Yue, was curled up on a table next to him. The cryptic teen absentmindedly caressed the Psychic-type Pokemon's pink fur as he waited for his client to arrive. He knew that his battle with his first opponent would start in one hour's time and yet he kept on waiting.

Suddenly, the gem on Yue's forehead began to flash repeatedly. This meant that Seishirou's client had arrived. The Sun Pokemon promptly uncurled herself and sat on her haunches. She then projected an image from the shiny gem on her forehead so that image materialized in front of Seishirou. The image was that of a teen who was about the same height as Seishirou. He had black hair, two different-coloured eyes; blue on the left and yellow on the right and very pale skin. He wore a pair of round glasses and a light green robe. On another note, he was holding a 'kiseru' in his left hand.

"Good evening, Kimihiro-san," Seishirou greeted warmly.

Kimihiro Watanuki blew some smoke into the air before he replied, "Thank you. I would assume that the Sun has just awaken from its slumber on your side."

"Yes," Seishirou confirmed.

"Good morning then, Seishirou-san," Kimihiro greeted with a faint smile.

Seishirou merely nodded in appreciation.

"I heard that you have decided to come out of your seclusion," Kimihiro drawled. "Why is that?"

"The thought of finding a source of amusement and... excitement," Seishirou cryptically replied.

Kimihiro chuckled, "I would say 'vague as always' but that would be rather hypocritical of me seeing as I am known to be rather vague as well." His tone then took a serious turn as he announced, "It is time for business." He asked, "Did you manage to get your hands on the required item?"

"You should have more faith in me, Kimihiro-san," Seishirou answered with mock sadness. He deftly reached into the left breast pocket of his vest and pulled out an oval stone. The defining property of the stone which sets it apart from the rest was that it was shining rather magnificently. Seishirou remarked, "Everstone. Quite a rarity in this world but I suppose it is more elusive in your dimension. Over here, it holds the power to halt evolution. Therefore, I am curious to see... whether its power shall undergo a metamorphosis or not over there."

"There is little need for worry," Kimihiro assured Seishirou. "I shall keep you up-to-date with its development." He added, "The payment for the Everstone is on its way to you now."

Seishirou smiled dangerously. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Kimihiro Watanuki."

"The feeling is mutual," Kimihiro replied. "Feel free to seek my help when you want a wish granted... since it's considered taboo for people like us to grant our own wishes."

"...Noted," Seishirou said.

Their connection was duly severed and Kimihiro's image disappeared. Yue wordlessly turned to Seishirou and opened her maw. From Seishirou's eyes, he saw a bluish vortex in the Sun Pokemon's mouth. Seishirou stretched out his arm and held the Everstone close to Yue's maw. The vortex in her mouth expectantly sucked the stone in. The Espeon then closed her maw and swallowed the stone. A second later, Yue once again opened her maw and this time, an orb of light shot out from the vortex.

Yue's Trainer caught the orb with his right hand and watched as it materialized into an oblong-shaped case of sorts. The case was black in colour with a small white inverted pentagram print on it. Seishirou slowly flipped open the case, revealing a pair of spectacles with rather large convex lenses. The upper halves of the lenses were framed while the bottom halves were not.

_"Spectacles?" _Yue echoed speculatively. _"Are you sure that a pair of glasses is sufficient payment for an Everstone?"_

"It wouldn't..., if this was a normal pair of glasses," Seishirou replied. He further elaborated, "There are two theories on the origins of these spectacles, at least that's what Kimihiro-san told me. This pair either belonged to an inter-dimensional traveler who was also a treasure hunter or a mysterious assassin who traps and kills his prey in illusions heralded by showers of _sakura _petals. Though they are two completely different people, their souls are mirror images of each other."

Yue bowed her head. _"I'm sorry,"_ she apologized. _"It was never my intention to doubt the way you conducted your business."_

"It does not matter," Seishirou dismissed the Espeon's apology as he put on the spectacles. "The only thing that matters is that I have received my payment."

The Espeon gazed at her Trainer who now had a new addition to his casual attire. She complimented, _"Those glasses are a good addition. They augment the mysterious quality of your eyes and makes you a tad more... umm..."_

A mischievous smirk adorned Seishirou's face as he leaned closer to Yue until their noses came into contact with one another. "Makes me a tad more what, Yue?" Seishirou prodded with a teasing tone.

_"E-Er...,"_ the Espeon stuttered. She found herself gazing deeply into Seishirou's sapphire eyes. Gradually, a faint blush found its way across her cheeks. She said nervously, _"I-It makes you a tad m-more h-h-handsome."_

Seishirou's eyes glinted maliciously. The cryptic teen moved his right hand closer to Yue's left cheek, caressing it softly. The Espeon shivered at the touch of Seishirou's cold fingers.

_"What i-is h-he d-doing?" _Yue thought frantically.

Seishirou chuckled lightly and this made Yue very uneasy. Suddenly, Seishirou began to close the distance between their lips. Yue's eyes widened and she became scared of what she thought was going to happen next. Seishirou got closer and closer until his warm breath caressed her lips. Just when she thought the worst was about to happen, Seishirou leaned past her lips to her ear.

He whispered, "You have a way with words, Yue. I wonder..., how will you perform in the bedroom?"

Yue's face turned from frightened to astonished instantly. She could not believe her ears. Seishirou had offered to make love to her. She knew that her Trainer was only teasing her but she did not think he was bold enough to even suggest that. With her face red as a tomato, she pushed Seishirou's face away with her paw and teleported away.

Seishirou chuckled darkly and leaned back into the rattan chair, releasing a sigh of contentment in the process. "It gives me great pleasure to tease those of the opposite sex, be it human or Pokemon," he said to himself.

_"I suppose that would be the main reason on why they would skip training on some days,"_ a voice commented.

The sapphire-eyed teen glanced over his shoulder and saw a Charmander leaning against the door frame with its arms folded across its chest. At first glance, it looked an everyday Charmander... if one did not notice the bandages that covered the entire length of its right arm and disregarded the fact that the Charmander was a Shiny Pokemon. Instead of having orange skin, this Charmander's skin was golden-yellow in colour.

"Your ability to spoil my mood ceases to amaze me, Ryujin," Seishirou said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Ryujin kept on a stoic expression and avoided falling for Seishirou's trap. The Shiny Charmander knew that Seishirou enjoyed tampering with people's emotions and thus did not respond to Seishirou's teasing of him. Instead, the Lizard Pokemon made his way over to his Trainer and handed him a piece of paper.

_"While you were sleeping, Xander took the liberty of printing out your opponent's data when he went into the city..., disguised as you of course,"_ Ryujin told Seishirou. _"He then asked me to past along this information to you."_

"Why would he ask you?" Seishirou asked as he examined his opponent's data. "Surely he is more than capable of handing something as irrelevant as this to me himself."

Ryujin replied,_ "It is beyond my comprehension as well. He said that he had some 'business' to attend to."_

"...I see. In any case, it must be important," Seishirou drawled. After examining his opponent's data, he deftly folded the piece of paper into a paper crane. He then flicked it into the air and watched as it suddenly burst into flames.

Seishirou stated with boredom, "My first opponent is a typical stereotype. He is one of those Trainers who relies heavily on his Pokemon's power and speed without regard for any strategy whatsoever. This is such a bore."

The black-haired teen's Shiny Charmander remained silent as he awaited for any further commands from his Trainer.

"Get the main battlers here, Ryujin," Seishirou instructed the Lizard Pokemon.

The Shiny Charmander wordlessly nodded and retreated back into the house.

A few minutes later, five Pokemon stood in front of Seishirou. Including Caedes and Ryujin, the Pokemon that stood in front of Seishirou included Shinobu Verde, a Sceptile, Exacolt, a Hydreigon and Aqua Liquidus, a Buizel and the only female of the five Pokemon. The Pokemon gazed at their Trainer silently and waited for his instructions.

After awhile, the silence was broken.

"Where is Xander?" Seishirou directed his question towards Ryujin.

_"Business"_ was Ryujin's simple reply.

Aqua scoffed, _"Business, business and business. That's all he ever talks about. Does he even want to battle in this tournament?"_

_"There is no point in you getting agitated about it," _Shinobu said in a phlegmatic tone. _"That is just the way he conducts himself. Asking him to change is like asking me to be a cheerful psycho."_

The Buizel raised an eyebrow at the Sceptile._ "Must you be so blunt all the time?"_ she huffed.

_"Not everyone can please your high standards," _Shinobu countered.

_"What's that supposed to mean?" _Aqua retorted.

Exacolt observed their squabble with amusement. _"Hmm..., the atmosphere is getting rather tense," _he observed. _"I wish I had some 'popping corn' that humans seem to enjoy during moments like this."_

_"Enough!" _Caedes exclaimed in a stern tone.

That did the trick as Aqua, Shinobu and Exacolt immediately quietened down. They knew better than to test Caedes' patience. The last Pokemon who did that..., well..., was never the same again after some alone time with the Pikachu.

Ryujin sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

"Right," Seishirou began, "here is the plan. For the earlier stages of this tournament, I will not be using all of you. However, I shall include only one of you in the team as a safety precaution. This does not mean that you are allowed to slack off. I'm giving the others a chance to prove themselves. If your performance dips ever so slightly, you shall be replaced. Do I make myself clear?"

_"Yes, Seishirou," _the quintet in front of him chorused.

The enigmatic Pokemon Trainer questioned, "Have you explained the nature of our first opponent to the others, Ryujin?"

The Shiny Charmander nodded in response to Seishirou's question.

Seishirou continued, "Since our opponent relies heavily on power, I shan't employ the 'fight fire with fire' philosophy. If he aims to succeed, this Cole Harding needs to realize that his battle style is too one-dimensional." He then asked his Pokemon rhetorically, "There is nothing wrong with lending a 'helping hand' to the younger generation, hmm...?"

Shinobu, Exacolt and Aqua snickered a little when their Trainer emphasized the term 'helping hand'. Even Caedes and Ryujin allowed rather faint yet sinister smiles to grace their faces. All five Pokemon understood the hidden meaning behind that term.

"Now then, reinforcing what I said earlier, I will not be including a Pokemon with an attacking mindset so Exacolt and Ryujin..., I apologize," Seishirou announced.

The owners of the aforementioned names bowed their heads and departed to continue their training.

The sapphire-eyed teen then switched his attention back to the three remaining Pokemon. "I am faced with a rather difficult choice," Seishirou admitted. "All three of you are suited for our opponent today. Shinobu, not only are you an all-rounder but your durability is astounding. Cole shall find that overcoming you with power alone is almost impossible. Aqua, you are quite the trickster. Though you are quite lacking in the strength department, you make up for it with grace and agility. Also, you are a Special Attack specialist. Caedes, hmph, we all know what you are capable of."

This drew snickers from both Shinobu and Aqua but they were quickly silenced when Caedes sent an unamused glare their way.

With a snap of his fingers, Seishirou declared, "I have made my decision. I choose..."

* * *

"What the heck?" Chris flabbergasted. "Why is this stadium so damn crowded?"

There were many stadiums that were going to be used for the Zenith League and those stadiums were separated into two main regions; Yin and Yang. Each region accommodated sixteen stadiums with Wuji Stadium erected at the point of intersection of the two regions. Currently, the centre of attention was the main stadium of the Yang region where the first match of the Zenith League shall take place. Some of the competitors, including Ash, Chris and Max allocated time off their busy schedules to witness not only the match but also last night's sensation; Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke.

Max adjusted his black glasses as he mused, "Well, it is to be expected. Given the footage we saw at the Zenith League Draw last night, I'd be surprised if anyone would want to miss seeing Seishirou in action."

"You got that right," Ash echoed his agreement as he allowed his eyes to wander about the stadium. He did not spot any empty seats. It was comparable to a cup that was filled to the brim. He added, "It's a miracle that we managed to get seats, especially seats that are close to the battlefield."

Dawn narrowed her eyes at Ash. "How can it be a miracle when we've been sitting here since six o'clock?" she mumbled with annoyance. "Honestly, only you would have the guts to wake a girl from her beauty sleep. I did not even have time to brush my hair."

"However, you did have time to shampoo your hair," Ash innocently replied. "As long as your hair doesn't stink, then it's fine, right?"

Dawn gaped at Ash. She shouted, "How can you say that, Ash Ketchum? Appearances mean everything to a girl!"

Unfortunately for Dawn, Ash paid no mind to her rant as his eyes were focused on the battlefield, eager for the battle to start.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Useless," she grumbled.

Cilan, being the concerned gentleman that he was, attempted to relieve Dawn's annoyance towards Ash. "By the way, do you know where Michael is?" he asked Dawn.

"No, I don't," Dawn replied as she shook her head. "I did managed to talk to him last night after he stormed out of Thanatos Hall. Though, he seemed very dismissive and kept on saying that I shouldn't get involved in his personal matters. He then walked away and I returned to the hotel."

"Hmm, I see," Cilan mused as he grasped his chin between his thumb and index finger. "If it is a truly personal matter, then it's best we keep our distance. Involving ourselves would only add fuel to the already volatile flame."

Though still unsure, Dawn nodded in agreement.

* * *

A sense of nostalgia filled Seishirou as he and Caedes stood in the tunnel leading to the battlefield in Stadium 1 of the Yang Region. As he stood there whilst tapping his right foot, he remembered the pre-match ritual he used to do without fail when he was younger. The pre-match ritual involved him solving Sudoku puzzles to ensure that his mind was in a state of readiness. Seishirou chuckled at the mere thought. The bespectacled teen glanced at the clock on the wall. The clock read 7.58 a.m. That would mean that he still had two minutes left before he would take part in his first official Pokemon battle in nine years. Feeling rather bored, he closed his eyes to heighten his sense of hearing.

"Judging from the intensity of the noise that is stimulating my sense of hearing, I would presume that all 40,000 seats in this stadium are occupied," Seishirou deduced. He chuckled, "My, my, it seems that I have become quite the celebrity."

_"I'm not one to care about whether or not you make a mockery of your current status but please refrain from displaying a Xander-like attitude," _Caedes advised Seishirou. _"I've already got my paws full from dealing with just one Xander."_

Seishirou pushed up his glasses as he countered smoothly, "Hmm, it is rather rare to see you back down from a challenge. If you can deal with Xander's... peculiar nature, surely you can make room for one more."

Caedes sighed tiredly. _"Seishirou...,"_ the Pikachu trailed off.

The mysterious teen detected a hint of desperation in Caedes' tone which was rather rare given the Pikachu had all but distanced himself from that particular emotion. Seishirou looked down at Caedes from the corner of his eye. The Pikachu's aura seemed a bit... off. There was a hint of light in his otherwise extremely dark aura. Curious, Seishirou knelt down and stared at Caedes' eyes. They were still amber in colour and yet they were different somehow. Being the person that he was, Seishirou merely shrugged it off.

"There is little need for worry," Seishirou assured Caedes as he petted the Pikachu. "You do know that I care for you and do not wish to burden you if the situation becomes unbearable. Have some faith in me."

Though Caedes generally disliked all forms of affection, he nevertheless allowed Seishirou to caress his fur as a form of gratitude.

The clock on the wall beeped eight o'clock. Seishirou promptly stood up and dusted himself off.

"Well then, wish me luck," Seishirou said as he walked towards the end of tunnel.

_"There is no point in me doing that seeing as you do not believe in luck,"_ Caedes cynically remarked as he disappeared into the shadows.

Seishirou grinned faintly. "You know me all too well, Caedes."

The large metal metal wall in front of him expectantly slid aside with a static 'buzz'. He hovered his hand over his eyes to prevent the incessant sunlight from blinding him. Taking off his glasses, he cleaned the lenses with the cloth that came along with the case before putting them back on and walking out into the arena.

He was immediately greeted with a roar of applause and a chorus of cheers upon stepping out into the arena. He halted in his movements and scanned the crowd around him. He managed to pick out Ash and his friends from the sea of spectators. The members of the Elite Four and the Champions were also present. They were seated at the VIP section of the stadium together with Charles Goodshow.

"I have you to thank for granting me all this unwanted attention, Mr. Goodshow," Seishirou grumbled with obvious annoyance.

Shedding his displeasure at the President of the Pokemon League Organization, Seishirou resumed walking forwards and took his place on his side of the circle in the centre of the arena. Seconds later, Cole Harding stepped into the arena. He got a warm reception from the audience instead of a raving one that Seishirou had to endure. The brunette ignored the crowd as his eyes were focused on Seishirou. Even as he took his place in the semicircle opposite Seishirou, his eyes never left his opponent.

"My name is Cole Harding," the spiky-haired boy introduced himself as he gazed at his taller opponent. "I'm from Snowpoint City."

The boy from the northernmost part of the Sinnoh region then kept his peace as he expected Seishirou to do his part in the exchange of pleasantries. When his bespectacled opponent kept mum, Cole queried him, "Well, aren't you gonna introduce himself?"

Seishirou innocently tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

Cole was slightly taken aback by the attitude that his opponent was displaying. He countered, "I introduced myself so it's only fitting that you do so as well."

"Fitting..., you say?" Seishirou monotoned. "Hmph, though it is rather foolish for me to misplaced my manners of conversation, it is even more foolish to concur with your question when you already know my name, isn't it?"

A frown found its way across Cole's face. "...I suppose so," he grudgingly agreed. "In any case, the Pokemon battling circuit has changed since you left. It has grown beyond you. A new batch of Pokemon Trainers, including me, are ready to inherit the helm of supremacy from our predecessors. Honestly, I think you made a grave mistake when you did not burn your invitation letter."

Callous would be the word to describe the smile on Seishirou's face as he darkly chuckled, "You are right about one thing, Cole Harding."

"And what is that?" Cole prodded uneasily. Frankly, he was slightly perturbed at the dark tone that Seishirou was using.

"The Pokemon battling circuit has indeed changed... for the worst," Seishirou told Cole. "It is now a shadow of its former self. In other words, it has degenerated into mere trash. I hold foolish Pokemon Trainers like you responsible for its rather... grotesque state."

Cole clenched his fists. He hissed, "What did you say?"

Seishirou continued, "These days, Pokemon Trainers rely heavily on power. It amuses me to see how they fail to realize the extent of their... narrow-mindedness." The black-haired boy swept a hand through his hair and added, "To tell you the truth, you are not even worth my time. Regardless of that fact, I will still amuse you with a battle."

"Trainers, take your positions!" the referee called out.

Seishirou sent a smirk Cole's way before he turned around and walked to a green box at the edge of the stadium.

Cole glared at Seishirou's back. "Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke... I will destroy that self-confidence of yours," he silently vowed. The brown-haired boy then proceeded to walk towards the red box on his side of the battlefield.

A large screen atop the stadium promptly flashed Cole's image in a red box on the left-hand side while Seishirou's image was displayed in a green box on the right-hand side. Below each image were three empty slots to display the images of their Pokemon. In the middle of the screen was a circle that was divided into two equal segments; green and red. The circle subsequently began flashing in a circular pattern and the light stopped on a red segment, meaning that Cole had the honour of sending out his Pokemon first.

"Welcome to this first round round-robin match of Group I between Cole Harding from Snowpoint City and Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke from Castelia City!" the emcee announced. "The match will follow a three-on-three battle format and the battle will continue until one team of Pokemon is unable to battle. Now then, let's kick-start the Zenith League!"

The crowd roared in agreement. The majority of them rarely had been out of Caelum City and never experienced the atmosphere of a Pokemon battling tournament before. Therefore, their vigour was understandable as they finally got a chance to witness a world-level tournament right before their eyes instead of through a television screen.

The referee instructed the combatants, "Trainers, send out your first Pokemon!"

"Chandelure, stand and get primed!" Cole exclaimed with zeal. He then lobbed a Poke Ball into the air. The light that was released from the Poke Ball struck the ground and materialized into the Luring Pokemon, Chandelure.

"Hmm..., it would seem that Cole has decided to go for a dual-type Pokemon," the emcee commented. "What Pokemon shall be its opponent?"

Seishirou wordlessly unclipped a Poke Ball from a belt clip on his belt. "Show them your will, Yue," he whispered as he released his Espeon.

"Well, well, well, Seishirou just released an Espeon," the emcee observed with confusion. "It seems that Cole has an advantage going into this battle as Psychic-types are weak against Ghost-types."

Cole smirk smugly. "All those years of isolation has left you a bit rusty," Cole mocked Seishirou. "You clearly have forgotten that Ghost-types trump Psychic-types any day."

Cole's opponent responded to his insult by flashing a faint yet evil smile with caused Cole to take a step back. "If that really is the case," Seishirou began, "then your Chandelure has absolutely no excuse to lose to my Espeon. Therefore-" He paused as he stretched out his arm towards Cole, paying homage to the major antagonist of his brother's favourite manga. He resumed, "-I implore you to utterly destroy my Espeon. If you can, defeat her in a single move. I am very sure that an _extremely powerful_ Pokemon Trainer such as yourself is capable of that minor task."

A few snickers can be heard amongst the spectators and this only served to worsen Cole's anger towards Seishirou.

The referee, who was holding a green flag in one hand and a red one in the other, glanced up at the screen to make sure that both Chandelure and Yue's icons had appeared below their respective Trainers. After confirming that, he switched his attention back to the competitors.

"Are both sides ready?" the referee asked aloud.

Cole and Seishirou nodded in unison in response to the referee's question.

"Cole Harding makes the first call" he exclaimed as he lifted both flags. The referee added, "Well then, let the match commence!"

"Chandelure, use Flame Burst!" Cole commanded.

The Luring Pokemon obliged as the purple flames atop its lamp-holding structures suddenly flared up. The larger flame atop its head then began to form an orb of fire. Chandelure then levitated the orb until it was floating in front of the dual-type Pokemon. With a ghostly wail, stream upon stream of purple flames shot out of the orb of fire towards Yue.

Seishirou adjusted his glasses as he ordered, "Form a barrier with Shadow Ball and Psybeam."

Yue deftly opened her maw and formed a Shadow Ball. She then shot the ball of dark energy upwards, about ten feet above her head. With the first phase of the defence move completed, the Espeon initiated the second phase by firing a multicoloured beam from the gem on her forehead into the Shadow Ball. On cue, rainbow-coloured beams erupted from the Shadow Ball and struck the ground around Yue. The streams of colourful beams then started to spin like a top and form a barrier around the Espeon.

The effectiveness of Yue's defensive move was proven as the barrier repelled Chandelure's Flame Burst and sent the purple flames back towards the Temptation Pokemon.

"What a move!" the emcee blared. "Seishirou's Espeon has switched from defence to offence in an instant!"

Cole smirked. He instructed, "Chandelure, absorb those flames."

The part Ghost, part Fire-type Pokemon stayed still and allowed the flames to come into contact with its chandelier-like body. Upon contact with its body, the purple flames were absorbed into Chandelure's body, causing the Luring Pokemon's body to glow bright purple. The glow gradually died down and the purple flames atop its head and lamp-holding structures became brighter and increased in size.

The emcee looked around and noticed that most of the spectators had confused looks plastered on their faces. He remedied the situation as he informed them, "It looks like Chandelure's ability, Flash Fire, has come into play. This ability makes the user immune to Fire-type damage and when hit by a Fire-type move, all of the user's Fire-type moves shall increase in power."

"How's that, Seishirou?" Cole gloated from across the battlefield. "If you had just allowed your Espeon to be hit, my Chandelure wouldn't have gotten an increase in power."

Seishirou countered, "My, you really are a naive boy." Noting the frown that found its way across Cole's face, Seishirou continued, "You said that Ghost-types easily trump Psychic-types so I thought that we should give you a 'helping hand'. Not only do you have a type advantage but your Chandelure has gained some power. This improves the chances of you being right. However, you get an F for failing to defeat my Espeon in a single blow. I'm utterly disappointed. Do you wish for me to handicap myself even more?"

Cole gritted his teeth. "Enough talk!" he exclaimed. "Use Will-O-Wisp, Chandelure!"

The chandelier-shaped Pokemon's body suddenly became surrounded by light blue fireballs which was was mercilessly fired towards Seishirou's Espeon.

"Dig and Shadow Ball," Seishirou countered.

The Sun Pokemon immediately burrowed into the ground and narrowly avoided her opponent's fireballs. She immediately surfaced in front of Chandelure and fired a Shadow Ball at point blank range. The super effective attack found its mark and Chandelure was blown backwards but still managed to stay afloat in the air.

"Grr..., Nitro Charge!" Cole shouted.

Chandelure deftly cloaked itself in fire and speedily charged towards Yue. The Luring Pokemon slammed into the Sun Pokemon who skidded backwards to Seishirou's half of the battlefield.

The bespectacled Pokemon Trainer noticed that Yue was shaking a little so he instructed, "Use Calm Mind, Yue."

The Sun Pokemon took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started humming. On cue, she was surrounded by a white light. A second later, the shaking had ceased and Yue opened her eyes, looking rather revitalized. Plus, her Special Attack and Special Defence stats had been raised.

"Let's go on the offensive. Use Psycho Shock," Seishirou ordered softly.

The Espeon once again closed her eyes and started concentrating her energy. On cue, her body started to crackle with not yellow nor blue but pink sparks. With a determined cry, she unleashed a single bolt of psychic energy towards Chandelure.

Cole was stunned with the velocity of the attack. "Dodge, Chandelure!"

Chandelure heeded Cole's order as it quickly floated to the side and avoided the Psycho Shock. However, the attack managed to graze its body a little.

"Nice one," Cole complimented his Chandelure.

"It's not over yet," Seishirou called out. "Yue, kindly surprise our opponents."

Upon hearing her Trainer's command, Yue tapped into her psychic powers, making her eyes take on a blue glow. The bolt of psychic energy which was dodged by Chandelure promptly took on a blue glow as well and executed an abrupt U-turn. Cole was taken by surprise and could only watch as his Chandelure was shocked by the psychic equivalent of Thunderbolt. The Luring Pokemon wailed in pain.

"Nice move!" the emcee praised. "Espeon manipulated the direction of her attack to cause massive damage to Chandelure. Colour me impressed!"

"Stay strong, Chandelure," Cole shouted in encouragement. "Quick, use Sunny Day!"

The dual-type Pokemon quickly formed a white orb. It then turned to face the Sun and fired the white orb towards the giant star. All of a sudden, the sunlight around the battlefield became brighter.

"Ah, it seems that Cole is beefing up his Chandelure's Fire-type moves," the emcee commented. "Is he thinking of ending this battle in one big move?"

The emcee's guess was spot on as Cole commanded, "End it with Fire Blast!"

An instant after Cole issued that command, Chandelure's whole body became surrounded in a bright, fiery aura. The Luring Pokemon then released an enormous stream of flames, which took on the shape of a kanji that meant 'big', towards Yue. Despite the fact that a powered-up Fire Blast was inching ever so close to the Espeon, the Sun Pokemon did not show any fear as she stood her ground and awaited her Trainer's command.

"Wrest control of that Fire Blast from Chandelure with Psychic," Seishirou ordered firmly.

Yue grew rather apprehensive after hearing Seishirou's command. She was not sure whether or not her psychic powers are strong enough to stop an extremely powerful Fire Blast. The Espeon immediately ejected that thought from her mind.

_"Snap out of it, Yue," _she mentally encouraged herself. _"I should have more faith in myself. I've been training just as hard as the main battlers. Seishirou is trusting me to win this battle and there is no way that I'm gonna let his trust in me go to waste."_

After her inner pep talk, her eyes settled upon the huge stream of flames that was getting closer with each passing moment. Steeling herself, she started to channel her psychic energy around the Fire Blast through her eyes and the gem on her forehead. Gradually, the Fire-type move became surrounded by a blue glow and though it was still on a direct collision with Yue, everyone noticed that its speed was decreasing. Just when they thought that the Fire Blast would hit its target, it stopped, inches from Yue's face.

"N-No way," Cole stammered in disbelief.

The spectators' gasps of surprise turned to roars of amazement. Frankly speaking, most of them never thought that it was even possible that such a powerful Fire-based attack could actually be stopped by Psychic.

The emcee shared in the audience's giddiness as he astonishingly exclaimed, "I thought I've seen everything folks but this is simply amazing! Espeon is actually holding back one of the most powerful Fire-type moves using only her mind!" He then wondered aloud, "Now that Fire Blast is in Espeon's control, what is Seishirou's next course of action?"

"Shape that Fire Blast into a ball and launch it above the stadium," Seishirou commanded tonelessly.

Reshaping the flames into a ball proved no arduous task for Yue as she accomplished the feat effortlessly. The Espeon wasted no time as she wordlessly launched the ball of fire high into the air.

"What is he planning?" Cole muttered, his brain filled with alertness.

Seishirou saw Cole staring at him and simply flashed the boy a mocking smile. Very slowly, the enigmatic teen raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. On cue, the ball of fire that Yue launched into the air exploded. As a result, multiple smaller spheres began their descent towards the battlefield.

"Unbelievable!" the emcee blared. "Espeon has managed to replicate a complete version of Draco Meteor using Chandelure's Fire Blast. Now that's what you call 'innovation'!"

Cole knew that Chandelure could absorb those spheres of energy since they were made of fire but that would leave the Luring Pokemon exposed to the chunks of earth that would surely be shot into the air when the fire balls hit the ground. After weighing his options, Cole issued a command. "Protect, Chandelure!"

Chandelure immediately conjured up a bluish-green forcefield around itself. The Luring Pokemon reaction time was impeccable as a second later, the battlefield was bombarded with the spheres of energy. Dust and debris were blown up into the air, obscuring the audience's view of the battlefield. However, this proved to be a minor inconvenience as the smoke gradually dissipated. The battlefield was in a sorry state. Craters and boulders of various sizes littered the battlefield. The spectators were anxious to see the condition of the battlers.

The smoke had now lifted and the crowd gasped at the scene that greeted their eyes. Both Chandelure and Yue were fine. It was as if the mock Draco Meteor was purposely aimed at the battlefield. They had no idea just how right they were.

Cole frowned. "This is weird," he thought with uneasiness present within his mind. "Those fire spheres did not even come close to hitting the barrier around Chandelure. My Pokemon have destroyed their fair share of battlefields so I should understand his reasons for doing so. The sad fact is that I don't. I can't grasp this guy's way of thinking."

"Now, Yue," Seishirou spoke up, "use Psychic on the rocks."

Yue nodded as she once again tapped into her aura. Almost instantly, about two dozen rocks were surrounded by faint blue outlines as they were lifted by Yue's mental powers. The Espeon, like her Trainer, flashed her opponent a smirk before sending the first wave of rocks towards the Luring Pokemon.

The blue eyes of Cole widened in alarm. "Chandelure, dodge those rocks and use Shadow Ball!" Cole shouted.

Though Chandelure were not known for their speed, they were fast nonetheless. Cole's Chandelure frantically but successfully dodged the first wave of rocks and fired a Shadow Ball at its opponent. However, just before it could find its mark, a boulder intercepted the Shadow Ball and upon contact, both the Shadow Ball and the boulder exploded, thus cancelling out the danger to Yue. Shandera was not given any time to bemoan its missed opportunity as Yue sent another wave of boulders at it. This time, Chandelure changed its strategy and fired multiple Shadow Balls at the Sun Pokemon whilst dodging the rocks. Unfortunately, the Shadow Balls were once again intercepted by boulders controlled by Yue.

"Chandelure is displaying great dodging skills," the emcee noted. "How long can it keep this up?"

Some spectators cheered for Chandelure, urging it to overcome the odds and surprise Yue while some cheered against Chandelure, praying for it to get hit by the rocks.

The emcee and the audience got their answer almost immediately as a rock struck Chandelure from behind, causing it to falter. Yue grinned, knowing that Chandelure's resistance was slowly crumbling. Pushing her psychic powers to the absolute limit, she surrounded the Luring Pokemon with many boulders of different sizes. With a tired but determined cry, she launched the rocks towards Chandelure at the same time. Though Chandelure managed to regain its composure, it was already too late. The rocks encompassed the Luring Pokemon, sealing its fate. Chandelure's 'prison' was then surrounded by blue light as it mercilessly slammed onto the battlefield. The force of the collision cracked open the rock 'prison' to reveal a battered and unconscious Chandelure.

The referee allowed his gaze linger upon Chandelure a bit longer. Nodding to himself, he raised the green flag and declared, "Chandelure is unable to battle!" Up on the screen, Chandelure's icon disappeared completely.

"Splendid battle!" the emcee cried gleefully. "I yearn for more action! What do you think, folks?" The crowd cheered wildly in response to the emcee's question.

Cole forced himself to take a calming breath. He then duly returned his fallen Chandelure back into its Poke Ball.

"What ever happened to that radiance of yours?" Seishirou asked with a smirk. "I thought that you were going to utterly destroy my self-confidence." Noting the expression of shock plastered on Cole's face, the black-haired teen added, "You should never underestimate my keen sense of hearing. It's more sensitive than any other humans' but slightly inferior to the hearing ability of my Pokemon."

Seishirou's opponent fought back the urge to curse him. If that were to happen, then his image would be forever stained. Instead, he withdrew a different Poke Ball and gripped it hard. He was sure that the Pokemon in the Poke Ball that he was holding would even the odds.

"Aggron, stand and get primed!" he shouted as he released the Iron Armor Pokemon. This Aggron was surprisingly calm as he did not let loose a deafening roar. Instead, he simply gazed speculatively at Yue as if he knew that the Espeon was already at her limit.

"Looks like Cole is going for raw power! Cole's second Pokemon is Aggron!" the emcee announced as Aggron's icon appeared on the screen. "Will Seishirou stick with his Espeon or is he gonna send out a fresh one?"

The older of the two Pokemon Trainers scrutinized his Espeon. He noticed that the Sun Pokemon was panting slightly and her fur was soaked with sweat. Yue's current state did not come as a surprise to Seishirou since controlling five dozen boulders with your mind was no child's play. Deciding that Yue had done enough, Seishirou returned her into her Poke Ball. This action prompted the colour around Yue's icon to fade away into a dull shade of grey but her image was still noticeable.

"So Seishirou has decided to rest his Espeon," the emcee stated the obvious. "What will Seishirou's next choice be?"

In response to the emcee's question, Seishirou took out a Poke Ball and pointed the dual-coloured ball towards the sky. He whispered, "Take the skies, Archeops."

The crowd gasped in wonder as they gazed upon the Pokemon that emerged from Seishirou's Poke Ball. It was a large, flying creature that had prehistoric qualities. Its featherless, scaly head was coloured green on top and red on the bottom. Its body was covered with frayed-looking, yellowish feathers. It had blue feathers designed for flight on its arms and legs enabling all four of its limbs to act as wings. All of these wings bore sharp claws. Each ankle had a ring of smaller green feathers. Similar to its head and neck, its tail was featherless but was completely red and bore a pygostyle-like fan of blue feathers at the end. Archeos' icon appeared on the screen just below Yue's icon.

"Wow, we are in the presence of a rare Pokemon, ladies and gentlemen!" the emcee breathed in awe. "Seishirou's second Pokemon is an Archeops, a Pokemon long thought to be extinct!" The emcee then unnecessarily wondered out loud, "Is Seishirou challenging or simply mocking his opponent since Cole once again has the type advantage?"

In Cole's opinion, Seishirou was doing the latter. The caucasian-skinned boy was nearing his boiling point but miraculously managed to keep his temper in check. He took a deep breath, counted to ten and exhaled. Almost immediately, his body was relieved of its previous tension.

"Aggron, use Stone Edge!" Cole ordered, taking the initiative once again.

Aggron gave out a roar as his eyes glowed white and two light blue rings appeared around its body. The rings then glowed white and formed into white stones that spun around the Iron Armor Pokemon. The white glow of the stones then faded into grey stones which were fired at Archeops.

Seishirou retaliated, "Dodge and use Focus Blast."

One of the advantages of being a part Flying-type Pokemon was the gift of speed. Archeops displayed said gift by dodging all the stones that came his way. The First Bird Pokemon then opened its maw and began channeling his aura to his mouth, forming a light blue ball of energy. Archeops promptly snapped his neck backwards before firing the Focus Blast towards Aggron.

"Counter that Focus Blast with your own Focus Blast, Aggron!" Cole told the Iron Armor Pokemon.

The part Steel, part Rock-type Pokemon charged up a Focus Blast in his giant maw and fired it to counter Archeops's Focus Blast.

The two attacks collided in mid-air which resulted in an explosion that completely obscured Archeops from Aggron's view.

"The two Focus Blasts were equal in power!" the emcee commented. "However, the resulting explosion seems to have worked in Archeops's favour. Since the smoke has blanketed Archeops, the next attack can come from anywhere. Watch out, Aggron!"

On cue, several Focus Blasts shot out from the smoke. Fortunately for Aggron, his Trainer thought of a suitable counterattack. "Flash Cannon, Aggron!"

Aggron once again opened his massive maw but instead of a blue ball of energy, a wide-ranged silver beam shot out of it. Said beam cancelled out Archeops's Focus Blasts and engulfed the smoke from earlier, making it dissipate that much faster. When the smoke cleared, Aggron expected to see a damaged Archeops. Instead, the Iron Armor Pokemon only saw the clear blue sky decorated with puffy clouds of different shapes. Aggron's eyes darted left and right. There was still no sign of Archeops.

"Watch out, Aggron!" Cole called out.

He bent his neck downwards only to see a Focus Blast heading right at him. In times like this, Aggron's weight was a disadvantage as his reaction time was affected. The Focus Blast struck and exploded on his gut, sending the Iron Armor Pokemon down on his left knee.

"That Focus Blast caused massive damage to Aggron!" the emcee exclaimed excitedly.

Aggron's ordeal was not over yet as Seishirou ordered, "Earth Power."

Archeops, who was drifted in the air slightly in front of Seishirou, obliged with his Trainer's command as his body flashed yellow before the First Bird Pokemon dived towards the battlefield. When Archeops was just a few metres from battlefield, he stretched out his right wing and slammed his claw into the ground. This action prompted glowing gold cracks to appear and travel at Aggron. The cracks then went under Aggron and exploded, hurting Aggron even more.

"Another critical hit!" the emcee observed. "Seishirou and Archeops aren't pulling any punches, folks!"

"Again, use Earth Power," Seishirou repeated.

This time, Archeops slammed both claws into the ground which resulted in double the amount of cracks formed. When the cracks went under Aggron and exploded, the Iron Armor Pokemon suffered twice the amount of damage. Aggron gave out a groan to symbolise his pain.

"Cole better think of something fast or else he would have a mountain to climb!" the emcee stated suspensefully. The crowd accented the emcee's statement by cheering for Cole to think of a solution.

The spiky-haired boy ran through his Aggron's list of attacks in his head before settling on the perfect one. "Use Metal Sound, Aggron!" he commanded.

Though Aggron was in pain, he caught a gist of what his Trainer ordered him to do. Fighting through the pain, Aggron channelled his aura to his horns. On cue, the two horns on his head glowed white and began to move back and forth quickly, causing a loud ringing sound to be heard. The horns then released light blue soundwaves at Archeops.

The First Bird Pokemon clutched his head as a loud ringing echoed in it. He was not the only affected as Seishirou, due to his more sensitive hearing, lightly massaged his temples.

Cole saw his chance and quickly told his Aggron, "End it with Hyper Beam!"

Aggron nodded and began gathering energy in his mouth that formed into an orange ball. The Iron Armor Pokemon snapped his neck backwards before firing a powerful beam towards his opponent.

Said opponent glanced up to see a Hyper Beam heading right at him. Archeops then glanced over his left wing. Seishirou was still reeling from the effects of Metal Sound as the black-haired teen was pinching the bridge of his nose with a small frown present on his face. The First Bird Pokemon then switched his attention back to the advancing Hyper Beam and sighed. If he avoided the Hyper Beam, then it would head straight to Seishirou. Archeops knew that his Trainer could take care of himself but the First Bird Pokemon did not want to chance it. With determined expression plastered on his face, he folded his wings in front of his body and waited for the inevitable.

The Hyper Beam struck Archeops and the First Bird Pokemon was pushed backwards until he was just a few metres from where Seishirou was standing. He winced in pain as the Metal Sound from earlier lowered his Special Defence to a point where it was non-existent, meaning that he had no protection against the Hyper Beam. Despite this, he stood firm as his Trainer's safety was his top priority. With a defiant shriek, Archeops pushed his wings outwards and redirected the Hyper Beam into the sky.

"A-Amazing! Archeops has just redirected one of the most powerful attacks that a Pokemon could learn!" the emcee commented in disbelief. "It just comes to show that if one has the will to protect what he or she holds dear, great things can be accomplished!"

Most of the spectators groaned loudly after hearing such a cheesy statement from the emcee.

Unfortunately, Archeops's bravery came at a heavy price. The First Bird Pokemon was breathing rather heavily and ultimately collapsed on the battlefield. He could not find any energy to lift even a single wing. Despite this, he gave out a tired smile, glad that his Trainer was safe. With that thought present within his mind, Archeops closed his eyes.

The referee dutifully raised his red flag and exclaimed, "Archeops is unable to battle!" Archeops's icon on the screen promptly disappeared.

"Hmm..., that Hyper Beam must have been too much for Archeops," the emcee stated. "With Archeops's Special Defence reduced sharply by Metal Sound, it's a wonder that it did not get blown away when the Hyper Beam struck it." The crowd cheered and applauded Archeops for his valiant effort.

Seishirou frowned slightly when the emcee referred to Archeops as an 'it' and not a 'him'. Despite his displeasure towards the emcee, Seishirou forgave him with the excuse that there were no differences between a male and a female Archeops.

"Return, Archeops," he said as the red beam engulfed Archeos and returned the First Bird Pokemon back into his Poke Ball. He gazed at the dual-coloured ball and chuckled, "Despite knowing that I could have taken care of that Hyper Beam, you still chose to shield from it. Brave but foolish. On the other hand, I did not want to display my... special 'abilities' in front of all these people so I guess I could... disregard your earlier action." As Seishirou clipped the Poke Ball back on his belt, he mused, "Though, I doubt Caedes would be so forgiving. Brace yourself for some punishment later on."

Cole was in a jubilant mood after winning that minor skirmish and asked, "Aggron, can you continue?"

With his eyes totally focused on Seishirou, Aggron nodded.

"Great!" he exclaimed confidently. "Let's keep the momentum going!"

"Both Trainers are down one Pokemon!" the emcee bellowed. "Looks like Cole and his Aggron are pumped up after that win over their opponents! Will Seishirou send out his Espeon or his third Pokemon?"

Seishirou adjusted his glasses before taking out a Poke Ball. He cupped the Poke Ball with his right hand and stretched out his right arm. He whispered onimously, "Scar them, Shinobu."

The Poke Ball slowly opened and a white light shot out of it. The light struck the battlefield and materialized into Shinobu, Seishirou's Sceptile and one of his main Pokemon. Shinobu, who was kneeling on his left knee, slowly rose and lifted his eyelids, displaying his red scleras and purple irises. The Forest Pokemon gazed at his opponent with a dull expression on his face. His eyes reflected his current mood; bored and uninterested. Despite this, Shinobu still remembered his manners as the Forest Pokemon pressed both of his palms together and bowed his head in respect to Aggron.

"Seishirou's third Pokemon is a Sceptile... and a respectful one too!" the emcee observed as Shinobu's icon appeared on the screen.

"Hmm..., a Sceptile. It seems that none of us has the advantage here," Cole assessed the situation. "I got it. Aggron use-"

Before Cole could say the command, Seishirou intervened, "Grass Knot, Shinobu."

Shinobu, with the glazed look still present in his eyes, slowly raised his right arm towards Aggron and flicked his wrist. Suddenly, glowing green vines shot out from the ground and wrapped around Aggron's ankles. The vines then shot towards their proginetor who easily caught them with his left hand. Shinobu boredly tugged the vines with minimal effort, causing Aggron to trip and slam onto the ground on his back. The shockwave reverbrated throughout the stadium, causing everyone to jump from their seats.

The dust that was launched airborne when Aggron slammed onto the ground gradually cleared up to reveal an unconscious Aggron.

"Aggron is unable to battle!" the referee exclaimed as he raised his green flag.

"My..., that was... short," the emcee deadpanned as Aggron's icon on the screen disappeared. The crowd stayed silent as they were also confused by the length of the battle.

Cole thought aloud, "How can Aggron just lose like that? He wasn't that heavily damaged."

Seishirou resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He perfectly elaborated, "The effectiveness of Grass Knot is dependant on the opponent's weight. In this case, your Aggron happens to be the third heaviest Pokemon in the world so it is only natural that he would lose, regardless of whether or not he was in perfect condition." He then asked with a cold tone, "Need I say more, Cole Harding?"

A chill crept up Cole's spine. All traces of humour in Seishirou's tone had vanished. It was though he was in full 'battle' mode. Cole assumed that Seishirou's change in personality was related to the Pokemon the sapphire-eyed teen sent out. He remembered from browsing through the Trainer database that Shinobu was one of Seishirou's main and strongest Pokemon.

"If that's the way you want to play it," Cole began, "Empoleon, stand and get primed!" The brunette immediately lofted his Poke Ball and released the Emperor Pokemon.

"Cole's final Pokemon is an Empoleon!" the emcee stated as Empoleon's icon appeared on the screen. "Looks like this will be a battle between a Hoenn starter Pokemon and a Sinnoh starter Pokemon! Who will prevail?"

Support for Shinobu and Empoleon were divided. The spectators from Hoenn rooted for Shinobu while the spectators from Sinnoh rooted for Empoleon. The neutrals did not care who came out on top as long as the battle was intense and interesting.

_"Hmm..., a worthy opponent has surfaced," _Empoleon mused as he got into his battle stance. _"Try not to lose too quickly."_

_"Another arrogant one," _Shinobu sighed. He then mildly scolded, _" Where are your manners? Don't you know that it is courtesy to show respect to a more experienced and older Pokemon, hmm?"_

Empoleon smug grin faltered a little. _"Oh..., forgive my rudeness,"_ he hastily apologized as he bowed his head towards Shinobu.

_"Think nothing of it,"_ Shinobu dismissed Empoleon's apology as he returned the bow. _"Let's have a decent battle."_

Empoleon grinned and reverted back to his battle stance.

"Empoleon, use Water Pulse," Cole instructed.

The Emperor Pokemon deftly put his wings together and formed a blue ball. Empoleon then threw the ball onto the ground and it glided across a stream of water towards Shinobu who gazed at the oncoming ball of energy with disinterest.

"Shinobu," Seishirou called out softly to the Forest Pokemon.

The Sceptile nodded and stretched out his right arm to the side. The two leaves on his wrist glowed light green and combined into one sharp blade. When Shinobu deemed the Water Pulse was at a suitable distance, he swung his arm and by extension, the glowing blade, downwards. Upon contact, Shinobu's Leaf Blade sliced Empoleon's Water Pulse into perfect halves which struck the ground behind the Forest Pokemon.

Cole bit his lip as he watched the Water Pulse being sliced in half. He shook his head and decided, "There is no use in me trying to figure out that Sceptile's battle style. It's better if I go all out." With a determined look, he ordered, "Use Ice Beam."

Though Empoleon was frustrated that his Water Pulse did not connect, he managed to compose himself as he opened his beak and formed a light blue ball in front of it. Beams of energy then erupted from the light blue ball as they travelled to strike Shinobu and deal massive damage.

Once again, Seishirou did not give an order. Instead, he adjusted his glasses on the edge of his nose.

At the same time, Shinobu held out his open palm upwards and began channeling his aura through his arm to that particular appendage. Satisfied with the amount of aura he managed to store in his hand, he slowly dispersed it into the air around him. The dispersed aura then formed a purplish green forcefield around Shinobu. A second later, the Ice Beam struck the forcefield and harmlessly bounced off its surface. With the danger cleared, Shinobu dispelled the forcefield and smirked faintly at Cole and Empoleon. The Forest Pokemon then raised a claw and motioned Empoleon to keep the attacks coming.

"Look at this folks, Sceptile is taunting his opponent after Empoleon's Water Pulse and Ice Beam failed to even scratch him!" the emcee uttered excitedly. "How will Cole and Empoleon react?"

"Grr..., change of plans!" Cole informed his Pokemon. "Use Metal Claw!"

Empoleon grew rather agitated when Shinobu insulted him so he was happy that his Trainer ordered to do a close-ranged attack. The blue parts on the rims of Empoleon's wings glowed white and the Emperor Pokemon quickly dashed towards Shinobu. Empoleon eagerly swung his wings at Sceptile but the latter avoided them effortlessly. Growing frustrated, Empoleon tried the attack again but still Shinobu dodged them fluidly. When Empoleon swung at his head, Shinobu would duck. When Empoleon swung at his body, Shinobu would sidestep the strikes. When Empoleon attempted to sweep his legs, Shinobu would leap over his wings.

"Sceptile looks as though he is just toying with Empoleon!" the emcee unprofessionally laughed. "How long will this game last?"

To make matters worse for Empoleon, the Emperor Pokemon could hear the crowd snickering along with the emcee. This not only infuriated him but spurred him on to land at least a single hit on Shinobu. Empoleon kept up the pressure until Shinobu tripped a little. The Emperor Pokemon saw his chance and swung both his wings at Shinobu's head with all his might, intent on ending the battle right there. However, it was not meant to be as his wings were stopped by two of Shinobu's claws; one claw per wing. Empoleon's eyes widened in shock while Shinobu's expression remained blank.

Seishirou swept a hand through his hair before he ordered, "Pound and then Energy Ball."

Shinobu gracefully executed a back-flip, smacking his palm-tree-branch-like tail onto Empoleon's face, causing the Emperor Pokemon to stagger backwards. As the Forest Pokemon landed back on his feet, he immediately crouched down and formed a pulsating and spinning Energy Ball in one hand. He then bent his legs, launched forwards and slammed the Energy Ball into Empoleon's gut. The Energy Ball exploded and Empoleon was blown backwards.

"Quick, use Hydro Pump!" Cole pleaded.

Not wanting to disappoint his Trainer, Empoleon leaned his body forwards and blasted a powerful jet of water from his beak before landing squarely on his feet. The Hydro Pump was so powerful that it pushed Shinobu half the length of the battlefield back to his own half. When the stream of water stopped, Shinobu was soaking wet and instead of grasping his chest in pain, he was gazing at Empoleon with annoyance present in his purple eyes. Shinobu really did not appreciate nor enjoy that bath.

"Good job, Empoleon," Cole commended. "Now use-"

The Emperor Pokemon suddenly dropped down on one knee and started coughing while clutching his chest. He had underestimated the power of Shinobu's Energy Ball. When he opened his eyes, they widened as a small pool of blood greeted his sights. He slowly traced the outline of his beak with his claw. When he inspected said claw, the golden colour of the claw was stained with blood.

"Empoleon, are you okay?" Cole called out in concern.

Empoleon immediately snapped out of his reverie and wiped the blood on his claw on the ground. He slowly stood up and raised his wing, assuring his Trainer that he was fine.

"Looks like Empoleon is fine and dandy, folks!" the emcee announced.

The spectators from Sinnoh breathed sighs of relief while the spectators from Hoenn groaned in disappointment.

"This was fun," Seishirou suddenly spoke out, "but good things must come to an end." The cryptic teen then reached into the left breast pocket of his vest and pulled out a rose. This rose was no ordinary rose. It was an anomaly. It was a black rose. Seishirou then casually flicked the rose at his Pokemon who caught the flower between his claws without glancing back at his Trainer.

"Seishirou has just handed Sceptile... a rose?" the emcee mumbled in confusion. He then wondered, "Is the rose an essential part of Sceptile's final attack?"

"Shinobu, end it," Seishirou commanded.

The Sceptile nodded and placed the rose in his mouth, paying little mind to sharp thorns that pricked his tongue. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The Forest Pokemon then held out his right arm to the side. This time, the leaves on his wrist glowed an ominous purple before combining to form a sharper and more jagged-looking blade. Pokemon Trainers who specialize in Dark-type Pokemon could tell that Shinobu was readying a Night Slash.

"Stay sharp, Empoleon," Cole cautioned. "The attack can come from anywhere."

Empoleon nodded as his eyes were locked on Shinobu.

Everybody in the stadium held their breaths, adding to the suspense on the battlefield.

Finally, Shinobu opened his eyes. The second he did, Shinobu disappeared with a static buzz and reappeared in front of his opponent. Empoleon was not given an opportunity to even blink as Shinobu mercilessly slammed the purple blade into the Emperor Pokemon's gut, knocking the wind out of Empoleon. Shinobu quickly dropped down on his back and slammed both of his feet into Empoleon's abdomen, launching the Emperor Pokemon skywards. The Sceptile flipped back onto his feet and leapt high into the air, passing Empoleon in the process. The Forest Pokemon raised both his hands above his head and conjured up a larger-than-average Shadow Ball. His eyes locked on the target, Shinobu threw the Shadow Ball downwards. The Shadow Ball struck Empoleon on his back and sent the Emperor Pokemon hurtling towards the ground. When Empoleon slammed onto the battlefield, the Shadow Ball on his back exploded, launching smoke, dust and debris everywhere.

"Empoleon!" Cole screamed worriedly.

The smoke cleared to reveal a large crater. In the middle of that crater was Empoleon, bruised, battered and unconscious. Empoleon's conquerer landed smoothly on the ground and threw the black rose high into the air. The rose suddenly burst, surprising everyone in the stands. As a result, black petals began to rain down onto the battlefield.

"Empoleon is unable to battle. The match goes to Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke from Castelia City!" the referee announced as he raised his green flag. Up on the screen, Empoleon's image faded and Seishirou's image was enlarged to cover the entire screen. The word 'WINNER' flashed repeatedly below his image.

"That was an amazing finisher!" the emcee commended. "Seishirou has opened his account with a 3-1 victory! I don't know about you guys but I can't wait for his next battle!" The crowd accented the emcee's statement by chanting Seishirou's name over and over again.

Cole drowned out all the noise as he ran into the crater to tend to his injured Empoleon. He cradled the Emperor Pokemon's head and asked, "Are you okay, Empoleon?"

Empoleon tiredly cracked open an eye and nodded at his Trainer.

Cole sighed in relief and pressed his head against Empoleon's. "Thank Arceus," he breathed. "I'm sorry. I gave you the wrong commands and now you're injured."

The Emperor Pokemon tiredly raised his wing and stroked Cole's hair as if it was saying "It wasn't your fault".

"Have your eyes opened to the truth yet?" a voice interrupted them.

The pair of Trainer and Pokemon looked up to see Seishirou gazing at them apathetically.

Seishirou continued, "Judging from the result of this match, you should be aware of your weaknesses. As I said before, you rely too much on power and your battle style is too one-dimensional. Don't even think of progressing to the second round. That foolish way of battling can only get you so far. This is not a regional-level tournament. This is a world-level tournament. You and your Pokemon will be slaughtered if you continue down this path. Unless you change your philosophy on battling, don't even bother showing up for your next match." With that said, Seishirou turned around and left the battlefield, leaving behind a contemplating Cole Harding.

* * *

"Wow, Seishirou's Sceptile was so powerful," Ash breathed in glee. "I can't wait to battle it."

"I wouldn't want to burst your bubble Ash," Max began, "but do you really think you can defeat one of Seishirou's main battlers, especially after Niveus lost to one of his reserves?"

Ash's Pikachu had half a mind to give Max a shock he will never forget. Though Niveus enjoyed Max's company, he sometimes found that Max's inability to be considerate to other people's feelings rather... exasperating.

Ash chimed, "Yeah, of course. When there's a will, there's a way, right?"

Niveus deadpanned, _"Your overly-optimistic attitude is starting to creep me out, Ash."_

"What's with all this talk about Seishirou?" Chris grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest. "Shouldn't we be concentrating on ourselves? If we let Seishirou occupy our minds all day long, then we'll lose focus and might as well kiss that huge trophy goodbye."

Max's glasses glinted as he snickered, "There is no point in hiding it, Chris. Admit it. You too were impressed with Seishirou's performance."

"Well...," Chris began hesitantly, "I was a _bit_ impressed on how his Sceptile creamed that Empoleon."

Max huffed indignantly, "I am well-versed on the subject on human psychology, Mr. Moore. The way you screamed like a crazy lunatic when Seishirou's Espeon defeated Cole's Chandelure implies that you were _absolutely_ impressed with Seishirou's performance."

"Fine, I was IMPRESSED with his performance," Chris admitted. "You can be such a pain, you know that?"

Max adjusted his glasses and chuckled, "I live to cause people pain, Mr. Moore."

Cilan decided to make his presence known. "Speaking of pain," the Pokemon Connoisseur began, "wouldn't you and Chris be suffering from emotional pain when both of you miss your matches that shall be commencing in exactly ten minutes from now?"

Max and Chris gazed at Cilan with blank looks plastered on their faces. They then gazed at each other before running down the stairs and exiting Stadium 1. Both of them went their separate ways as their matches shall take place in different stadiums.

The quartet that they left in the dust sighed in unison.

"Boys," Dawn mumbled. "I'll never understand them."

"Hey!" Ash yelled out indignantly.

Cilan immediately suggested, "Why don't we split up? Ash and Niveus will go watch Chris' match while Dawn and I will go watch Max's match."

Ash and Niveus inwardly moaned. "Why do we have to go to Chris' match?" Ash voiced out his and Niveus' thoughts. "That guy scares us."

When Ash did not hear a reply, he opened his eyes. Cilan and Dawn were already gone. The brown-eyed boy gritted his teeth and made a mental note to choke a certain Pokemon Connoisseur later. He then turned to Niveus and informed the Pikachu, "We best be heading over to Stadium 5." With that said, the black-haired boy trudged towards the specific stadium.

Niveus moved to follow his Trainer but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The Mouse Pokemon placed a paw over his heart as he felt some foreign force tugging at it for some reason. He then switched his attention to the giant screen above the entrance of Stadium 1. He swore he saw a figure atop that screen, gazing down upon him. The Pikachu quickly dismissed that notion and reasoned that the lack of sleep must be affecting his mind. He spared the screen one last glance before sprinting after his Trainer.

The brown-eyed Pikachu was wrong. His mind was not playing tricks on him as there was indeed a figure atop the giant screen. Said figure gazed at Niveus as the Pikachu caught up with his Trainer though amber-coloured eyes.

_"My eyes were not deceiving me. It seems that our paths have finally converged..., Levis."_

* * *

**Sorry for the slight delay. I've been so addicted to KH : Birth By Sleep and it cost me valuable writing time.**

**On a better note, I've beaten the game on Critical Mode. :)**

**A special thanks to Hotrod198 for lending me his OC. (Sorry that he had to lose but it's necessary for his growth)**

**This is rather irrelevant but if you want to imagine how some of the characters sound like, look below.**

**Seishirou's voice = Dave Mallow(X/1999)  
**

**Shinichi's voice = Luke Manriquez(KH:BBS)**

**Caedes' voice = Haley Joel Osment(KH:BBS)  
**

**Xander's voice = Doug Erholtz(Bleach)  
**

**Shinobu's voice = J. Michael Tatum(xxxHolic)  
**

**Don't forget REVIEW, 'kay. XD**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	7. Chapter VI : The Struggle Within Oneself

**Plenty of battles in this chapter which means ten times the fun and ten times the action!**

**There will be those that triumph and those that fall short. Once again, sorry if your OC is on the losing end.**

**I'll try to make the battles more evenly-matched between the competitors but no promises.**

**Happy reading.**

* * *

Rick Dragon, who was carrying a camcorder, entered his hotel room, shut the door and locked it. Placing the camcorder on a table, he made his over to the windows and shut the curtains. Thankfully, the curtains were translucent in nature so Rick could still see as the room descended into darkness. He walked to the dresser and pulled the drawer where he kept his trusty notepad and pencil. After grabbing said items, he retrieved his camcorder and sat down in front of the flatscreen TV which was a synonym for the items found in every room of the Betwixt Hotel. Rick duly took out the camcorder's disk and inserted it into the the DVD player that was connected to the flatscreen TV. He then switched on the DVD player, grabbed the remote control and switched on the television.

The brunette never took his eyes of the television screen as he watched the footage displayed on the screen with a calculating eye. Sporadically, he would pause the footage and doodle on his notepad before pressing the 'PLAY' button on the remote control to unfreeze the footage. He spent about thirty minutes watching the footage while taking down notes in his notepad. With the footage having completed its running time, Rick switched off the TV and the DVD player. He promptly switched his attention to his notepad as he looked through the notes that he had written in it.

* * *

_**SUBJECT : ESPEON**_

**_STRENGTH(S)_**

**_* Judging from the footage, her psychic powers are surprisingly strong. She remained completely aware of her surroundings despite the fact that she was controlling three dozen boulders. Quite an anomaly amongst Espeon but not really surprising. Unlike physical power which deteriorates with time, mental power is everlasting if a Pokemon is put through the proper training regime. Hmm..., perhaps it is best if I do a little research on the different types of training methods._**

**_* She displayed the ability to combine attacks of different types to form a completely unorthodox yet highly effective counter. I am 64% sure that she has competed in Pokemon Contests. She undoubtedly has the grace and flair to compete in a Pokemon Contest. However, based on my extensive research, there is no record of this Espeon's Trainer ever competing, much less winning, a Pokemon Contest. This probably means that the regular updates on the Trainer Database does not include updates on Pokemon Contests._**

**_WEAKNESS(ES)_**

**_* Her recovery time after using an attack is rather slow for a Pokemon competing in a world-level tournament. Her average recovery time is 4.093 seconds. It is understood that Champion Pokemon, which is a title given to exceptionally strong Pokemon, have a recovery time 1.011 seconds or better. _**

**_* She tends to get weary after orchestrating attacks using her mind. After her victory over that Shandera, her fur was matted with sweat. I presume that she can still battle but the success rate against her has increased by 40%. _**

**_CONCLUSION _**

**_She is beatable but I have to tread with caution if this Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke character decides to use her against me. I do not have any Pokemon that has a type advantage against this Espeon. However, I can defeat this Espeon using my Ninetales. Speed is the key to winning against this Espeon. As a safety measure, I shall gather more data on this Espeon._**

* * *

Rick nodded to himself, satisfied with the data he had gathered on Seishirou's Espeon so far. His keen observation skills was one of the reasons the influential Dragon family adopted him when he was only six-years-old. In only half a dozen years, his adopted father had passed on the family business to him. Rick repaid his adopted father's trust in him by expanding the family business, which focused mainly on cocoa and coffee bean trade, throughout the five major regions. This achievement made his adopted father very proud of Rick but the brunette simply shrugged off the man's praises. "Running a highly successful business in my tender age is one of the quirks of being a genius, I guess" was the answer he would give when the reporters prodded with him with the mundane and annoying questions on how he ran the family business.

He generally viewed the world as a major disappointment but he was never disappointed with the Dragon family. The main reason was that his adopted father always presented Rick with challenges which Rick found to be amusing, laughable and a little bit entertaining. From cooking a world-class dish to participating in an archery competition, Rick passed with flying colours. This time, his adopted father challenged him to conquer the Pokemon battling circuit in one year. Rick accepted the man's proposal but the brunette had his own reasons for doing so other than to please the 'stupid old man', as he phrased.

The pale-skinned boy blinked, his mind focusing back on the present after a brief reminiscence of the past. He looked back at his notepad and flipped a couple of pages, skipping the data on Seishirou's Archeos on purpose. Rick swept a hand through his messy locks and read:

**_SUBJECT : SCEPTILE_**

**_STRENGTH(S)_**

**_* His reaction speed is top-notch. He was able to avoid all of his opponent's slashes with relative ease. The average time interval between the Empoleon's slashes were 0.957 seconds. That is quite an impressive feat but not impossible to replicate. This Sceptile must have a high work-rate but his aloof nature masked this fact._**

**_* There are no unnecessary or habitual movements in his all-around style of battling. He uses the least amount of power to produce the greatest results. In this way, he can conserve his stamina and maintain his all-around performance in battle for a longer duration. _**

**_* He does not seem to sweat a lot despite being pressured by his opponent. This indicates that he has a large amount of stamina. This fact coupled with the one above implies that he is more or less fine with long and drawn out battles._**

**_WEAKNESS(ES)_**

**_* I have not detected any so far but if this Sceptile really does have a 'perfect' battle style, I need to use a Pokemon which has a high recovery time between his/her attacks so that I may apply a 'gung-ho' strategy. Perhaps an erractic battle style will catch this Sceptile off guard._**

**_CONCLUSION_**

**_This Sceptile is classified as a Champion Pokemon according to the Trainer database. At their current level, my Pokemon could take the battle to him but stamina would be an issue. Employing an attacking strategy would be utterly useless if they don't have the stamina to sustain it throughout the entire length of the battle. As with the Espeon, I require more data._**

The moment Rick finished reading out the last paragraph, the digital alarm clock on a nightstand beside the bed buzzed. He immediately focused his line of vision toward the alarm clock. It read 10.00 a.m.

"There is no sense in me pondering about this matter now," he stated as he pocketed his notepad. After retrieving and looping his Dragon Fang necklace around his neck, he continued, "After all, I am representing the Dragon family. Anything less than a victory would bring utter shame to my family."

With that variation of the 'I-will-win' resolve firmly planted in his heart and mind, he exited his hotel room and began his short and brief journey to the place that he shall formally and officially introduce himself to the Pokemon battling world; Stadium 5 of the Yang region.

* * *

Speaking of Stadium 5 of the Yang region, a Pokemon battle was just about to take place there. The stadium shall be the battleground for the Trainers in Group V. Ash waited for the match to start with great anticipation. Well..., not really since he was still pretty peeved at Cilan for forcing him and Niveus to watch Chris's match. Technically, the green-haired teen did not _force_ him per se but Ash thought that Cilan would not have given him that much of a choice even if he did argue with the Pokemon Connoisseur. It was not that Ash bore any ill will towards the tall teen unlike his feelings towards a certain Pokemon Photographer but Ash simply did not enjoy the guy's company at all. Moreover, Chris's infatuation with Dawn was beginning to get on Ash's nerves.

Ash sighed and shook his head. "There I go again," he mumbled exasperatedly. "Why is it that I feel warm inside every time I see Dawn? It didn't happen when I was in Sinnoh. Am I falling in love?" His eyes widened when that last thought crossed his mind, prompting him to jar his head against the guard rail, drawing confused looks from the other spectators. "What am I saying? Of course I'm not. I only view her as my little sister. Nothing more, nothing less."

He tried to convince himself that his feelings for Dawn were not of the romantic type but failed miserably. Ash decided to gaze around the stadium in an effort to get Dawn out of his head. It worked as he noticed that there was not as many people in this stadium compared to Stadium 1. Ash guesstimated that only 5,000 seats, including his and Niveus', were occupied. It was pretty big number but when it equated to only one-fifth of the stadium's capacity, the number seemed pretty... insignificant.

"Given the size of Chris's ego, this atmosphere would be downright depressing for him," Ash chuckled without a hint of sympathy. "Wouldn't you agree, Niveus?"

When Niveus did not respond to his question, Ash averted his attention from the battlefield to his Pikachu. Said Pikachu had a faraway look in his brown eyes which Ash could sworn he saw flash blue for a moment. Ash lightly elbowed Niveus to get the Pikachu's attention. This action jerked Niveus out of his daydream as the Mouse Pokemon snapped his head towards Ash.

"Are you okay, Niveus?" Ash voiced out his concern. He informed the Pikachu, "You were daydreaming just now."

Niveus visibly tensed and immediately displayed a fake smile, hoping that Ash would buy it. _"It's nothing, Ash," _the Pikachu assured him. _"No need to worry."_

Ash furrowed his brow, unconvinced with Niveus' assurance. Thankfully for Niveus, the black-haired Trainer merely shrugged and turned his attention back to the battlefield.

Once the Mouse Pokemon was sure that Ash's attention was fully focused on the battlefield, Niveus shed his facade as a downcast expression occupied his face. _"What is this feeling?" _he inwardly wondered as he placed a paw over his heart. _"It's squeezing me. Why do I feel so lonely all of a sudden? I have Ash, Cloud and all my other friends with me but... I'm still very lonely. It's... like a big piece of my heart is missing."_

Niveus was unaware of the significance of that last sentence but that shall be saved for a later time. Despite his inner turmoil, Niveus forced himself to chin up and focus. Regardless of his problems, he was here to battle and not dawdle on unimportant matters. Though Niveus struggled to push down the feeling of loneliness that coursing through his veins, he succeeded in doing so..., for now at least. Deep in his heart, Niveus knew that he would suffer a backlash from ignoring that feeling.

* * *

Chris strutted out onto the battlefield with an air of supreme confidence emanating from his huge body. He felt grateful to Arceus for placing him in a very easy group. Although, this was simply his opinion, not based on extensive research. The other members of Group V were not well-known Trainers but this fact did not mean that they were pushovers of any sort. Chris knew the consequences of overconfidence since this factor was the cause of his downfall in many tournaments he had participated in. However, when word that Ash had defeated Macy and Morrison in the past reached his ears, he could not help but be confident in himself. The blond-haired nineteen-year-old felt that he was superior to Ash in every way. "Since Ash beat them, I should have no problem beating them and advancing to the second round" was what he thought.

As Chris made it to his side of the circle in the centre of the arena, he looked around the stadium, noticing the low attendance. He suddenly became very depressed. "You would think that more people would come to watch a conqueror of both the Kanto and Sinnoh Battle Frontier in action," he sighed.

He decided that it was best not to dwell on the matter for his opponent, Macy, had taken her place in the semicircle opposite Chris' semicircle. After exchanging pleasantries with each other, both combatants made their way towards their respective boxes at the edges of the battlefield. Chris was stationed in the red box while Macy was stationed in the green box.

The screen atop the stadium immediately lit up and flashed both Chris and Macy's images on it. Below their icons were six empty slots, three below each image, reserved for their Pokemon. A circle which was divided into a red and a green segment appeared in the middle of the screen. On the referee's signal, the circle began flashing in a circular pattern and the light stopped on the red segment. This not only meant that Chris got to send out his Pokemon first but he also got to give the first command.

"Welcome to this first round round-robin match of Group V between Christopher 'David' Moore from Sandgem Town and Macy from Mahogany Town!" the emcee announced. He then informed the audience, "The match will follow a three-on-three battle format and the battle will continue until one team of Pokemon is unable to battle."

"Gyru, standby for battle!" Chris yelled out, unaware of the glare the referee sent his way for not being patient to listen to his instructions first. The Poke Ball that Chris tossed into the air snapped open and released a white light which struck the battlefield. The light soon materialized into Chris' Nidoking, Gyru. The Drill Pokemon roared into the heavens and fixed Macy with a heated glare.

If Chris thought that Macy would be intimidated, he thought wrong. In fact, he was a bit surprised when Macy grinned from ear to ear. "Starmie, let's go!" he heard Macy shout out.

The Mysterious Pokemon emerged from Macy's Poke Ball and gracefully took its place on the battlefield. It replaced its Trainer as the target of Gyru's glare but since the Mysterious Pokemon did not have a face, Gyru could not tell whether or not the Starmie was affected by his glare. He tried roaring at it but the Starmie's body language remained unchanged. Gyru sweatdropped at his unsuccessful attempt to intimidate the dual-type Pokemon.

The emcee observed, "So, the opening act will be Nidoking versus Starmie. It seems that the type advantage goes to Macy."

"Damn," Chris mummured. "No wonder she was grinning just now. Lady Luck, you really are getting on my nerves."

"The first battle is between Nidoking and Starmie. Chris makes the first call," the referee explained. "Begin!"

Chris quickly ordered, "Gyru, start off with Thunderbolt."

The Nidoking quickly crossed his arms across his muscular chest and began charging up some energy until a bright yellow glow surrounded his body. Once the Drill Pokemon deemed the energy that he had charged up to be sufficient enough, he released the energy towards Starmie in the form of five lightning bolts.

"Starmie, use Thunderbolt as well," Macy commanded.

Starmie heeded Macy's call as the Mysterious Pokemon jumped into the air, spun around and fired a single but powerful bolt of yellow lightning from its body at Gyru.

Gyru and Starmie's attacks connected with one another at the centre of the battlefield. Both attacks fought for supremacy but neither managed to gain the upper hand. Soon enough, both attacks were cancelled out.

"It would seem that the attacks were equal in power," the emcee commented. "Looks like we are in for a evenly-matched battle despite Nidoking having the type disadvantage."

Macy and Chris rummaged their brains for suitable commands. Unfortunately for Chris, Macy was just a tad bit faster. "Rapid Spin, Starmie!"

The part Water, part Psychic-type Pokemon, which was levitating about three feet above the ground, began spinning wildly like a top. Achieving maximum velocity in an instant, Starmie sped towards Gyru. To the audience, it was as if they were watching a purple circular saw which was on a direct collision course with Chris' Nidoking.

Chris remained calm as he instructed his Nidoking, "Wait until Starmie is close and then strike it with Focus Punch."

Gyru grunted his approval as the Drill Pokemon angled his body a little to the side and bent his knees, pulling his right arm back and readying a Focus Punch in the process. The Nidoking actually disliked allowing his opponent to control the pace of the battle but his trust in Chris eclipsed this fact. The distance between him and Starmie was sharply reducing. Despite having the urge to disobey his Trainer and launch himself at Starmie, the Nidoking stayed put and waited. Five seconds later, Gyru and Starmie were separated by only three feet.

"Now, Gyru!" Chris shouted.

The Drill Pokemon deftly thrusted his glowing arm forwards, intent on shattering Starmie's gem and ending the battle in one move.

Macy commanded, "Dodge and use Water Gun."

Starmie executed a sharp turn and successful dodged Gyru's Focus Punch, causing the latter to send a glare Starmie's way as it passed by.

"Great evasive action by Starmie!" the emcee complimented the Mysterious Pokemon.

Said Mysterious Pokemon immediately initiated the second phase of its command and shot a stream of water from one of its many arms towards Gyru. The Water Gun struck the Nidoking's back with full force, causing the Drill Pokemon to give out a grunt of pain and drop down on his knees.

The emcee blared, "That attack was super effective and caused massive damage to Nidoking! Seems as though Starmie has drawn first blood!"

Chris forced himself to take a calming breath. "Sorry, Gyru," he suddenly apologized. "That was my fault. Let's start over. Fire a rapid Thunderbolt."

Gyru immediately got back on his feet, much to the crowd's amazement. The Nidoking then fired a weak Thunderbolt towards Starmie. Though this Thunderbolt was severely lacking in the power department, its speed was heigthen to a point that it was faster then a speeding bullet. Starmie was not expecting such a speedy attack so it had no time to even dodge the Thunderbolt as the attack strucked and shocked it.

"Starmie!" Macy yelled out in concern.

"Nidoking has immediately returned the favour, ladies and gentleman!" the emcee announced. "That was a critical hit!"

The taller of the two Pokemon Trainers commended Gyru, "Nice job." He then commanded, "Now use Shadow Ball!"

The Drill Pokemon swiftly opened his massive maw and launched a pulsating ball of dark energy towards his stunned opponent.

"Starmie, pull yourself together and dodge that Shadow Ball," Macy encouraged.

The Mysterious Pokemon, not wanting to disappoint its Trainer, shook off the effects of Gyru's earlier attack and cartwheeled to the left, avoiding the Shadow Ball in the process. The Shadow Ball struck the ground behind Starmie and left a black scorch mark on the battlefield.

Macy sighed in relief. "Kudos to you, Starmie," she chirped. "Use Ice Beam."

Starmie eagerly conjured up a light blue ball in front of its red jewel core. Light blue beams suddenly shot out of the orb towards Gyru. The beams scored a hit on Gyru's chest, freezing it in the process. The Nidoking groaned as he suffered quite a lot of damage from the super effective attack.

"Nidoking has again suffered a lot of damage," the emcee stated the obvious. "Macy is taking full advantage over the fact that Nidoking is at a type disadvantage."

"Now use Rapid Spin," Macy ordered, aiming to keep the momentum going.

Macy's Starmie once again launched itself at Gyru, spinning wildly.

Chris bit his lip as he came up with a solution that could, in his opinion, turn the tables on Macy and her Starmie. However, the solution was akin to double-edged sword. "Gyru," he began, "do you trust me?"

The Drill Pokemon glanced at Chris from the corner of his eye in confusion. However, once he saw the look in his Trainer's eyes, Gyru's expression turned grim as well. The dual-type Poison/Ground Pokemon slowly nodded.

Chris took a deep breath and exhaled. He instructed quietly, "Let Starmie hit you. Wait for my signal."

Gyru nodded again and faced the rapidly-closing Starmie fearlessly.

"Hmm..., Chris is not giving Nidoking any orders. Why is that?" the emcee wondered aloud. "Does he have a plan in store or has he given up?"

Macy, despite being wary of her opponent's intentions, urged Starmie to continue forward. The Mysterious Pokemon struck Gyru's chest, shattering the ice on that particular area to cause monumental damage to Nidoking who shut his eyes and cried in pain.

"Now, Gyru," Chris called out forcefully, "use Poison Jab!"

Despite aching with pain, Gyru managed to pull himself together and thrust the claws of his right arm, which had elongated and were now glowing purple, at his opponent. The attack was successful as Nidoking jabbed Starmie just above the latter's red jewel core and sent it flying backwards. The Mysterious Pokemon somehow managed to land in a upright position, drawing applause from the crowd. However, Starmie suddenly hunched forward as its body was surrounded in a purple glow.

"Ah, Chris made a huge gamble there," the emcee commented. "Chris ordered his Nidoking to do nothing to bait Starmie to enter Nidoking's striking range. Though Nidoking has suffered more damage from that effort, Chris' gamble paid off as Starmie is now poisoned."

The Sandgem Town native fist-pumped the air in glee. "Yes," he shouted joyfully. "Now, end it with Venom Shock!"

Gyru mimicked the preparation move for Thunderbolt but this time released a single purple lightning bolt instead of a yellow one. Starmie was still reeling from the effects of being poisoned and stood no chance as she was shocked by the Poison equivalent of Thunderbolt. Once Gyru stopped chaneling the attack, Starmie stared blankly at the Nidoking before it plopped onto the ground on its back.

The referee gazed at Starmie's prone form for awhile longer before he raised the red flag and declared, "Starmie is unable to battle!" With the referee's declaration, Starmie's icon on the screen atop the stadium faded completely.

"They did it, folks!" the emcee bellowed. "Despite having the odds heavily stacked against them, Chris and Gyru managed to pull off a surprise win! Can they keep the momentum going?"

Chris smirked confidently. "Of course we can."

"Come back, Starmie," Macy said as she recalled Starmie into its Poke Ball. She then gazed at the Poke Ball and remarked, "You did great out there. You deserve a nice, long rest." After keeping Starmie's Poke Ball in her belt bag, she grabbed another one. "Typhlosion, I choose you!"

Macy's Typhlosion emerged from his Poke Ball and landed on all fours. As the Volcano Pokemon stood up, he ignited the flames at the back of his neck and roared at a decibel that was so high that most of the crowd pressed their hands against the ears tightly.

"My, such vigour from Macy's second Pokemon!" the emcee exclaimed as Typhlosion's icon appeared below Starmie's on the screen.

"Hmm..., neither of us has the advantage time around," Chris observed silently. When he saw that his opponent was about to utter out a command, he swiftly ordered, "Gyru, fire four Shadow Balls at Typhlosion!"

Chris' Drill Pokemon opened his maw and formed four small purple balls in front of his face. Gyru then shot the balls at his opponent, Typhlosion.

A smirk descended across Macy's face. "Typhlosion, Protect."

Typhlosion grunted in approval and spread out his arms and legs. On cue, a bluish-green forcefield surrounded Typhlosion and shielded him from the Shadow Balls which harmlessly bounced off the surface of the forcefield and struck the battlefield.

"Looks like Typhlosion knows Protect," the emcee stated. "Typhlosion having that move in its arsenal means that Nidoking cannot attack as freely as before."

Despite having a huge amount pride stored up in his massive body, Chris acknowledged the emcee's observation. "He's right. I have to choose my attacks carefully from now on. If I don't, I'll just be wasting Gyru's stamina." Chris pondered on his choices before he commanded, "Gyru, use-"

Before Chris could even say the attack, Macy pulled out Typhlosion's Poke Ball and said, "Return, Typhlosion." A red beam engulfed the Volcano Pokemon's body and sucked him back into the Poke Ball. She quickly retrieved another Poke Ball from her belt bag and hurled it as she exclaimed, "Torkoal, I choose you!"

"Macy has substituted Typhlosion for Torkoal!" the emcee narrated as the colour around Typhlosion's image faded to grey and Torkoal's icon appeared below it. "Macy has shown all three of her Pokemon while Chris has only shown us his Nidoking!"

Confusion was evident on Chris's face. "Why would Macy call back her Typhlosion?" he pondered silently. "Torkoal do not have nearly as much power as Typhlosion. What is she thinking?"

"Torkoal, use Flame Charge!" Macy commanded.

The Coal Pokemon nodded and began to stomp the ground repeatedly, creating a dust cloud that surrounded it. She then cloaked herself in fire and launched herself of the dust cloud and charged towards Gyru.

Chris was jarred from his thoughts as he noticed Torkoal approaching Gyru. He suddenly grinned from ear to ear. "No matter," he began, "we'll end this in one move." He then commanded, "Use Hyper Beam, Gyru!"

Gyru took a huge intake of breath before forming a bright orange ball in his mouth. The Drill Pokemon then brought his head forward as he fired a powerful beam at the approaching Torkoal.

Remarkably, the fact that one of the most powerful moves a Pokemon could learn was on a direct collision course with her did not even faze Torkoal as she kept charging towards her opponent.

"What is this?" the emcee flabbergasted. "Instead of dodging the Hyper Beam, Torkoal is actually charging towards it. Has it lost its mind?"

When the Hyper Beam was an inch away from connecting with Torkoal, a bluish-green forcefield appeared around Torkoal. The Hyper Beam hit the forcefield but could not shatter it. Instead, the Hyper Beam was duly cancelled out.

"What the hell?" Chris cried.

The emcee's grew wide-eyed once realization dawned upon him. "Now I get it," he whispered to himself. He then informed the shocked audience, "The Protect that Macy had Typhlosion use earlier has been passed on to Torkoal. Since Protect is a near invincible defensive move, Hyper Beam was cancelled out. Excellent strategizing by Macy!"

"Hit your opponent now!" Macy exclaimed with vigour.

With five feet separating Torkoal and Gyru, the former launched herself into the air and slammed into Gyru's gut. Torkoal then spun around like a top to magnify the damage that has already been inflicted on that specific area of Gyru's body. The Drill Pokemon was blown backwards and his body skidded across the battlefield until he came to a stop in front of Chris with his body bruised and conciousness with the world severed.

"Nidoking is unable to battle!" the referee announced as he raised the green flag. Gyru's icon promptly disappeared, denoting his defeat.

"Yes!" Macy shouted enthusiastically.

It took Chris longer than usual to recall Gyru back into his Poke Ball, mainly because he was stunned that one of his main battlers was defeated by a lowly Torkoal. Fortunately, he was mature enough to shake off his Nidoking's loss as he grabbed another Poke Ball from his belt clip and wordlessly lobbed it into the air.

The Poke Ball burst open to reveal his Shiny Sceptile, Vader. Like Gyru, the Forest Pokemon glared strongly at Torkoal and her Trainer, giving the impression that he hated them for being in his line of sight.

"Chris's second Pokemon is a Sceptile!" the emcee stated dramatically as Vader's icon took its place on the screen below Gyru's. "Once again, Macy has the type advantage!" He then thought to himself, "Does this Chris kid ever do research on his opponents? Hmm..., probably not."

Macy quickly instructed her Torkoal, "Use Flamethrower, Torkoal."

The Coal Pokemon immediately let loose a stream of volatile flames from its mouth towards Vader.

"Vader, dodge and use Leaf Blade!" Chris countered.

The Shiny Sceptile easily sidestepped the Flamethrower and zoomed towards Torkoal. As he zeroed in on his target, the two leaves on each of his wrists glowed green before merging to form a single but extremely sharp blade of green energy. The blade on his right wrist connected with Torkoal's chin, launching the Fire-type Pokemon into the air. Vader then raised his left arm and slashed Torkoal's exposed underbelly, sending her crashing onto the battlefield on her shell. Torkoal flailed around like a Magikarp in an attempt to get herself back on her feet but the circular property of the shell on her back did not do her any favours whatsoever.

"Torkoal is in quite the predicament as it struggles to get back on its feet!" the emcee bellowed suspensefully. "An opening has presented itself for Chris!"

Chris could not agree with the emcee more as he ordered Vader to move in for the kill. "Use a full-powered Energy Ball!"

Eager to taste victory, Vader leapt high up into the sky and formed a green ball of energy about sixty centimetres in diameter. The Forest Pokemon held the Energy Ball over his head with both of his hands, maximizing the potential energy of the attack in order to deal the greatest damage to his opponent.

"Not so fast," Macy intercepted. "Torkoal, execute Counter Shield!"

A hint of a smile appeared on Torkoal's face as she retreated into her shell. The shell started to spin rapidly as Torkoal fired powerful jets of fire from her mouth through all the shell openings. The jets of fire then began to circle Torkoal and soon became a fire tornado.

"What's this?" the emcee exclaimed in amazement. "This move not only protects Torkoal but also has offensive capabilities. Watch out, Sceptile!" The crowd cheered wildly at the sight of such an innovative move.

"Vader, cancel that Energy Ball and evade!" Chris yelled out.

The Sceptile detected the urgency in his Trainer's voice and hastily dispersed the Energy Ball. As he began his descent to the ground, he executed flips and twists in the air to avoid getting singed by the fire whips. He had a right to do those manoeuvres since he was a Grass-type Pokemon. When fire meets grass, it will not be a peaceful union.

Macey gleefully remarked, "You're not gettin' away that easily." She then ordered, "Switch to offence mode, Torkoal!"

Torkoal began to spin faster and faster as the fire whips doubled in both numbers and ferocity. Even in the face of adversity, Vader displayed amazing flexibility as he dodged _most_ of the fire whips..., the key word being 'most' since one of the whips of fire managed to singe his thighs and forelegs. His face scrunched up in pain as he landed on the ground. Vader now had a new number one on his 'hate' list; gravity.

Macy's opponent was taken by surprise yet again. He never expected Macy or any other Trainer in general to know that move since Ash claimed that he invented that specific move. Chris' eyes suddenly widened in realization. His eyes immediately darted around the stadium until he found his desired target; Ash. The brown-eyed boy had his elbows propped up against the guard rail as he smirked at Chris.

Chris narrowed his eyes at Ash. "I get it now," he said. "That cheeky bastard taught Macy that move. I should have taken into account that Ash would have kept in contact with her. I'm getting ticked off."

"I have to thank Ash for adding spice to my Torkoal's abilities," Macy muttered. The pigtailed girl scrutinized her opponent's Pokemon. "Vader's speed has been reduced thanks to Torkoal. I hope this will even the match-up. Hmm..., perhaps I should aggravate Vader's injuries further..., just to be on the safe side. She sadistically commanded, "Use Flame Burst, Torkoal!"

The Coal Pokemon complied with her Trainer's order as she shot a huge bullet of fire at the injured Sceptile.

"Dodge it, Vader!" Chris called out.

Vader jumped to side and avoided the Flame Burst. However, as his feet touched the ground, his stance faltered a little since he was goaded into adding pressure to his injured legs.

"Flame Burst again, Torkoal!" Macy repeated her command.

Torkoal's opponent was again forced to avoid the oncoming bullet of fire and apply pressure to his legs. This time, Vader let out a grunt of pain.

The Sceptile's Trainer heard that faint cry as his face scrunched up with worry. "I have do to something," Chris breathed. "If not, Vader'll get even more injured. Think, Chris. Think."

_"Would you hurry it up?" _Vader pressured Chris as he dodged another Flame Burst. _"I hate being in this position."_

"Sceptile is in a real pickle here, folks!" the emcee observed. "Chris better think of something fast!"

Chris ruffled his blond hair as he pushed his thinking skills to the very limit. Finally, he came up with a solution. It was not the perfect one but in his opinion, it was better than nothing. "ExtremeSpeed, Vader!"

Vader acknowledged Chris' order with a nod of his head. He stood still and waited for the Flame Burst to come within five feet from hitting its target. At the last second, the Forest Pokemon disappeared from sight using speeds no human eye could possibly catch up with.

"Keep your guard up, Torkoal!" Macy cautioned the Coal Pokemon.

The Fire-type Pokemon responded to her Trainer's call by remaining calm and collected. She gazed around the stadium whilst keeping an ear out for the slightest change in noise frequency. The crowd kept mum which allowed Torkoal to focus.

Despite her intense concentration, Torkoal failed to react fast enough as Vader reappeared behind her and knocked her into the air with Leaf Blade. Ignoring the pain in his legs, Vader jumped up after Torkoal. Once he was parallel with the flailing Torkoal, he twisted his body and slammed Torkoal's underbelly with his tail. The Coal Pokemon was sent hurtling downwards and slammed onto the battlefield on her back. Vader then gripped his right forearm with his left hand and stretched out his left palm towards the Torkoal on the ground. The Forest Pokemon promptly channeled his aura to his open palm and fired three Energy Balls at his opponent. A baleful expression occupied his face as he watched the Energy Balls hit their mark and enshroud it with explosions.

Vader landed on the ground just as the smoke cleared to reveal a _seemingly _unconscious Torkoal in a crater.

"What an amazing combo!" the emcee bellowed. "Looks like we have another powerful Sceptile on the cards, folks!" The spectators from Hoenn cheered loudly. They were happy that after a Hoenn Pokemon took the spotlight earlier in the day, another Pokemon from the same region was continuing that streak.

The referee was about to raise his red flag and announce that Torkoal was unable to battle but Macy had other ideas.

"Torkoal, use Explosion!" Macy roared.

A sense of dread filled Chris' body when he heard that command escape between Macy's lips. He hastily thought of a suitable counter and was about to order Vader to execute it but it was too late. The Saffron City native could only watch in horror as Torkoal jerked herself onto her feet, gripped Vader's right leg with her mouth and created a monumental explosion, using her body as the catalyst, that engulfed both Pokemon.

The emcee roared joyfully, "Torkoal has just executed the craziest kamikaze move ever; Explosion! Surely Torkoal is down for the count but what about Sceptile?"

The smoke particles dissipated to give the emcee the answer to his question. Both Vader and Torkoal were unconscious in a crater located at the centre of the battlefield. The crater covered the entire width of the battlefield and was about ten feet deep.

The referee nodded to himself and raised both of his flags and announced, "Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" As a result, the icons of the aforementioned Pokemon on the screen blinked out.

"Both Trainers are down to their last Pokemon!" the emcee exclaimed. "We already know Macy's final Pokemon but what Pokemon will Chris send out to combat Macy's Typhlosion?"

Chris chose not to ponder on the severity Vader's injuries were as he recalled the Forest Pokemon back into his Poke Ball. Macy did the same to her Torkoal a second later. They moved to grab their final Poke Balls but the referee prevented them from doing so. The Trainers gave the referee confused looks but understood the man's reasoning since the battlefield was in a dismal state. The problem was easily remedied as the battlefield was instantly replaced with a new one. The referee then gave the combatants the green light to continue the match.

"Typhlosion, I choose you!" Macy exclaimed.

"Ignis, standby for battle!" Chris roared.

Both Trainers lobbed their Poke Balls into the air after giving out their respective battle cries. Macy's Poke Ball burst open to reveal her Typhlosion while her opponent's Poke Ball snapped open to reveal the final form of a starter Pokemon from the Unova region. Specifically speaking, it was the Fire-type Pokemon, Emboar.

"Looks like we're gonna be witnessing a fiery battle between a Typhlosion and an Emboar!" the emcee roared delightfully as Typhlosion's icon lit up again and Ignis' image appeared below Vader's blank icon. The crowd applauded the combatants, glad that the battle was going the distance.

Macy decided to take the initiative. "Typhlosion, start out with Flamethrower!" she ordered. As she watched her Typhlosion spat a powerful stream of fire at Ignis after flaring up the flames around his neck, she silently prayed, "Please take the bait."

"Ignis, show them the power of your own Flamethrower!" Chris yelled out. The wreath of flames around Ignis' suddenly burned brighter as the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon opened his massive jaws and fire his own stream of fire at the oncoming attack.

Both fire attacks collided at the centre of the battlefield and formed into a massive ball of flames. The orb could only store so much energy as it exploded, creating a cloud of smoke.

"Yes," Macy mentally cheered. "Let's go on the offensive. Use Flame Wheel!"

Typhlosion ran out of the smoke and leaped into the air before he spun around and engulfed his body in flames. With the attack ready, Typhlosion began his rapid descent towards his opponent, Ignis.

Chris hastily countered, "Knock Typhlosion back into the air with Hammer Arm and then use Stone Edge!"

Ignis moved his right forearm backwards as it glowed white. The Emboar's eyes never left Typhlosion as the Volcano Pokemon got closer by the second. When the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon guesstimated that the distance between him and Typhlosion was plausible enough for him to execute his attack, Ignis swung his glowing arm upwards and connected with Typhlosion who was still in Flame Wheel form. The power behind that Hammer Arm was so powerful that it launched Typhlosion back into the air. Ignis then surrounded himself with chunks of grey stones and fired them at Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion, use Eruption to dodge those stones!" Macy commanded. She added, "After that, use Focus Blast!"

The Fire-type Pokemon from Johto quickly ignited the flames at the back of his neck and released a stream of smoke and lava from its mouth up into the sky. This manueovre created a backward momentum which guided Typhlosion back to solid ground and out of harm's way. The Volcano Pokemon promptly dropped down on all fours and gripped the ground with his claws to reduce friction. He gathered some energy in his jaws before firing a blue sphere towards Ignis.

Chris retaliated, "Arm Thrust that Focus Blast away!"

As with Hammer Arm, Ignis moved his right forearm backwards but it did not glow white this time. With the Focus Blast only a few feet away, he thrust his arm forwards and hit the blue sphere of energy with his hand, sending it flying towards the west wall. The Focus Blast exploded upon contact with the wall.

"This is turning into a high-tempo battle!" the emcee observed. "Both Fire-types are certainly on form today!"

"Typhlosion, close the distance with Quick Attack!" Macy instructed.

Typhlosion wordlessly obliged as he sprinted towards Ignis on all fours with a white streak trailing behind him.

Chris ordered, "Stop him with Flamethrower!"

Ignis once again spewed out a powerful stream of fire from his maw in an effort to halt Typhlosion's advance.

"Jump and then use Swift," Macy countered.

The Volcano Pokemon stopped in his tracks before leaping backwards. A second later, his opponent's Flamethrower struck the ground where he previously stood. Typhlosion reared his head backwards before shooting a barrage of yellow stars at Ignis.

Ignis grunted slightly as the yellow stars struck his body. However, the stars did not pack enough punch to knock Ignis off his feet.

Chris pursed his lips and grumbled displeasingly. He really did not expect to be pushed this far, especially in his first match. He decided then and there that it was time to take the gloves off. Ignis' unique ability immediately came to mind.

"Ignis, use Scald!" Chris shouted.

Despite being a Fire-type Pokemon, Ignis, to the crowd's amazement, shot a torrent of boiling water from his mouth at Typhlosion.

The sight of a fellow Fire-type Pokemon using a Water-based move left Typhlosion in a state of shock, albeit temporarily, as he tried to comprehend the extraordinary phenomenon. By the time Typhlosion jarred himself from his reverie to focus on the battle, the hot water splashed on his underbelly, singeing it rather badly. Though the water's temperature was extremely high, it was water nonetheless as Typhlosion was dealt massive damage.

"Judging from the pained expression that Typhlosion's exihibiting, that attack must've been super effective," the emcee deduced. "It is a little-known fact that Emboar are the only Fire-type Pokemon that are able to learn a damaging Water-type move."

Since Macy was a Fire-type enthusiast, she knew of the fact that made Emboar unique compared to other Fire-type Pokemon. That thought just slipped her mind in the heat of battle. "Typhlosion, pull yourself together and use SmokeScreen," she ordered.

Typhlosion managed to shake off the effects of Scald and covered Ignis's portion of the battlefield and by extension, Ignis himself, in black smoke which he released from his mouth.

Chris coughed as the smoke entered his nostrils. His eyes were getting all teary since the smoke particles decided to agitate them. It was bad enough that he was colour-blind, but the smoke particles seemed hell bent on making him permanently blind. Talk about adding insult to injury. He strained his eyes to locate Ignis amidst the smoke and succeeded as he caught sight of Ignis's wreath of flames.

"Ignis, use Hidden Power!" Chris called out in desperation. He knew that Hidden Power was an unreliable move at best since it was an attack that varied in both type and intensity depending on the Pokemon using it but he was out of options. The blond-haired Trainer was hoping for an attack that would at least clear away the black smoke.

Ignis took a deep breath before putting his arms across his chest in an 'X' formation. He reached deep into his inner aura and began to channel it throughout his body, making it glow white. With a determined grunt, he spread out his arms and unleased white radiating waves of energy. The white waves were akin to a Flying-type move as they blew the smoke apart and improved the visibility..., at least in Ignis and his Trainer's case.

"Alright," Chris silently cheered.

However, his jubilation was short-lived as Typhlosion rammed into Ignis's gut with a well-placed Flame Charge, knocking the wind out of the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," the emcee observed. He then noted, "Macy took advantage of her opponents' temporary loss of sight by having her Typhlosion use a powerful Flame Charge. Though it may have been a Fire-type move, Flame Charge is considered to be in the Physical category so Emboar must've been dealt some damage!"

"Ignis," Chris shouted, "payback time! Use Head Smash!"

Before Typhlosion could retreat, Ignis lashed out his bulky arms and gripped Typhlosion's neck with massive paws. Just for added effect, he slowly squeezed his opponent's neck, making the Volcano Pokemon's face turn blue as he gasped for air. Ignis cackled a bit before bringing Typhlosion closer and slammed his forehead against Typhlosion's. If one listened closely, he or she could hear a sickening 'crack' sound. Ignis then released Typhlosion who automically rose on his hind legs and sagged from side to side with a dazed look in his eyes.

"Typhlosion!" Macy cried out in concern.

The emcee joked, "That Head Smash must have sent Typhlosion's mind to another planet." He added, "It looks like it doesn't even know that it is in a battle!"

Chris smirked. "Now use Fire Punch!"

Ignis deftly channelled his aura into his arms which caused them to burst into flames. He then proceeded to punch the living daylights out of Typhlosion. The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon was using the highly effective 'one-two combo' which was a nickname for a jab and cross combo in boxing. He even added uppercuts for good measure. All of the heavy punches connected with the defenceless Typhlosion's body, leaving behind nasty bruises. Despite all those heavy blows raining down upon him, Typhlosion miraculously managed to still stand upright. However, he really looked worse for wear as he started to falter in his stance. Tears began to form in his eyes as the pain became quite unbearable.

"Typhlosion is displaying great fighting spirit, folks," the emcee stated, his voice laced with awe and amazement. "He refuses to throw in the towel despite being reduced to a mere punch-bag for the last minute!" The crowd began to chant Typhlosion's name, willing the Volcano Pokemon to keep on fighting.

Macy shouted with vigour, "Typhlosion, everyone in the stadium is rooting for you! Don't let them down! Use Reversal!"

The Volcano Pokemon's eyes abruptly changed when his Trainer's words reverberated in his head. They did a 180 degree turn from eyes filled with pain to eyes filled with passion and determination. When he saw a fist of fire heading straight towards his face, he chose to act instead of doing nothing. Typhlosion sidestepped the jab and bit Ignis's arm so hard that he severed a vein with his sharp teeth, drawing blood which flowed onto his tongue and stimulated his taste buds. He eased the pressure a little and Ignis retracted his arm in shock. Typhlosion's body suddenly became surrounded in a red glow that could only described as 'angry'. With a deafening roar, Typhlosion rammed his body into Ignis's gut full force. This time, resounding 'crack' sounds reverberated throughout the stadium which had the effect of disgusted sounds escaping between the spectators' lips.

"Okay, now that's just gross," the emcee deadpanned. "I think it is accurate to assume that some of Emboar's ribs are broken."

Speaking of Emboar or Ignis in this case, the sheer force of the move that his opponent used lifted him off his feet as he was propelled backwards. He crashed back onto the ground in a crumpled heap. He slowly got back on his feet, staggering a little. He then decided to take a deep breath. A second later, he wished he had not done that as his left hand travelled to the left side of his abdomen. He coughed and wheezed a little in pain. The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon applied pressure to that particular area, feeling for any broken ribs. A grim expression occupied his face when he learned that four of his ribs were broken.

Chris gazed at his Emboar. Though the Pokemon looked fine, Chris knew that he was still reeling from that Reversal attack. The fact that some of Ignis's ribs were broken did not escape Chris as he too heard the 'crack' sounds. As a result, Ignis's mobility was practically non-existent. Also, Chris hypothesized that Ignis could only execute one more Fire-type attack. Fire-type attacks meant inhalation of air and even a slight overuse of those attacks would add pressure to Ignis's broken ribs, damaging them even further. Chris sighed. There was only one attack that could win him the battle.

Macy gazed at her Typhlosion. His body was marred with bruises and they were rather swollen. Though the fire in his eyes was still burning strong, Macy knew that Typhlosion was in excrutiating pain. Typhlosion's body kept sagging from side to side but he simply would not listen to his body's pleas. Macy was proud of him but at the same time she was worried. If the battle was prolonged even further, Typhlosion might risk further injury. Macy sighed. There was only one attack that could win her the battle.

"Ignis..."

"Typhlosion..."

"Blast Burn!" the two Trainers chorused.

Both Pokemon nodded tiredly. Ignis's wreath of flames suddenly grew larger and burned brighter as he gathered his energy for one final attack. His body crackled with red sparks as he struggled to contain his fiery aura. His head started to shake uncontrollably as he channelled the energy to his maw. He reared his head back before he fired a powerful and massive stream of fire towards Typhlosion. In contrast, Typhlosion dropped down on all fours and gripped the ground with his claws. He started to shiver uncontrollably as his body glowed bright red and the flames at the back of his neck flared out fiercely. He opened his maw and began to charge up. In one fluid motion, he thrust his body forward and released a stream of fire that was just as powerful and massive as Ignis's Blast Burn.

The Blast Burns connected at the centre of the battlefield and morphed into a fiery maelstrom. The maelstrom got larger and larger until it could no longer contain all that destructive power. An extremely powerful and massive explosion occured as a result. Stones, dirt and dust were sent flying into the stands as the spectators shielded their faces. The audience gazed at the battlefield. They saw nothing but black smoke. Both Ignis and Typhlosion plus their Trainers were consumed by the ash cloud on the battlefield. The wind started to pick up speed as it relieved the battlefield of the thick ash cloud. The crowd could only gasp at what greeted their sights.

There was a very large and extremely deep crater at the centre of the battlefield. Some of the fans even contemplated on flipping coins into the crater to find out its true depth. As the smoke continued to dissipate, the audience caught sight of the combatants. Both Ignis and Typhlosion were panting heavily as they glared at each other. Their bodies were marred with deep cuts and nasty bruises. Blood was oozing out of the wounds in trickles. The flames on their bodies symbolized their rather pitiful state. The flames burned very weakly as if they were about to extinguish. The audience held their breaths as they gazed upon the two valiant combatants. Finally, one of them flopped down onto the ground and surrendered his consciousness. The unfortunate one... was Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! The match goes to Christopher 'David' Moore from Sandgem Town," the referee, who was miraculously unharmed by the explosion, declared as he raised his red flag. Up on the screen, Typhlosion's image disappeared. Chris's image was then magnified to cover the entire screen with the word 'WINNER' flashing repeatedly below his image.

Macy could care less about the fact that she lost as she ran into the battlefield toward her injured friend. When she reached him, she took a second to examine Typhlosion's body. A portion of his fur was charred black but that was nothing compared to the numerous amount of cuts and bruises that marred his body. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she lamented the state of her Pokemon. Macy knelt down and patted Typhlosion's head to see if he was still conscious.

Typhlosion felt something caress the fur atop his head whilst he was floating in the realm of dreams. Feeling intrigued, he jerked himself awake and tiredly lifted his eyelids. The first thing that greeted his sights was his Trainer, Macy. He reasoned that she must have realized that he was awake as he saw relief spread throughout her face and the sadness withered away. He smiled softly at his Trainer.

"I knew you were tough, Typhlosion!" Macy chuckled. "It'll take a lot more than this to put you out of commission!"

The Volcano Pokemon chuckled along with his Trainer. The fact that she can maintain her cheerful disposition in any situation never ceased to amazed him. He saw that she was about to return him back into his Poke Ball and stopped her. Though the humans in the stadium might feel sympathetic towards him due to all of his injuries, he does not want their pity. He would hold onto his pride until the very end. The Volcano tensed his body up before he slowly pushed off the ground to stand on his own two feet. Halfway through, his body started to shake uncontrollably as he struggled to bear the excruciating pain. However, he did not give up as he expended all his energy so that he may succeed. Finallly, his stubborn attitude paid dividends as he succeeded.

The sound of clapping suddenly echoed throughout the stadium. Macy, Typhlosion and the crowd turned their attention to the source of the clapping. Their eyes fell upon Ash. He was giving a standing ovation, most likely to Typhlosion. Slowly but surely, the crowd started to follow Ash's example as they gave Typhlosion and Macy a standing ovation. There were also some who whistled and chanted both Macy and Typhlosion's names.

The pair of Trainer and Pokemon chuckled nervously in unison because neither of them were used to being the centre of attention. They would prefer to blend into the shadows in a sense but they admitted that having the spotlight every now and again was nice change of pace.

Though Macy was disappointed that her Pokemon lost, she was glad that they pushed Chris's team to the brink. Wanting to show the world that she was a good sport despite the loss, she set her mind on congratulating Chris for his victory. Unfortunately, she realized that she could not do so because as she turned to Chris's half of the battlefield, her blond-haired opponent was nowhere in sight. He had already left the battlefield.

* * *

Chris trudged his way to the changing room with a very visible frown plastered on his face. He thoughts drifted back to the duel he had with Macy awhile ago. The longer he pondered on the nature of the match, the more displeased he got.

"Damn it," he cursed silently. "That match was too close for my liking. My Pokemon were far more superior compared to Macy's in every aspect. Did Ash tell her about my battle style? No..., of course not. That punk has never seen me battle before. What the hell did I do wrong? How the hell did she managed to push me that far?"

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not notice that he had walked past a certain brunette who was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Said brunette faintly smirked as he listened to, in his opinion, a laughable idiot drone on and on in a sad attempt to comprehend his faults.

"That was a rather subpar performance for one who has nine years of experience under his belt," the brunette claimed. "However, I guess it is to be expected from an arrogant fool such as yourself."

The subject of the brunette's amusement was jarred from his thoughts as he whirled around to face this unknown character. At first glance, Chris thought that the person in his sights was a girl but upon closer inspection, he realized that 'she' was in fact a 'he'. The boy had light brown hair that was styled like Seishirou's with the only difference being that his bangs partially concealed his eyes. Speaking of eyes, his pair was contradicting in colour. The iris of his left eye was ash grey in colour while the iris of his right eye was sky blue. He was tall in stature, about six feet but Chris had a good six inches on him. He donned on a white button-up shirt under an unzipped silver jacket, worn black jeans and a pair of white sneakers. A silver headband was tied around his head, presumably to keep his hair out of his eyes and a silver fingerless glove was displayed on his right hand. Another accessory worth noting was the necklace around the boy's neck. It had a Dragon Fang attached to it.

"What d'ya mean by 'subpar performance', you punk?" Chris half-asked, half-demanded.

"Exactly what I said, you simpleton," the brown-haired boy flatly answered. "If you cannot even comprehend that phrase, I suggest you look it up in the dictionary."

Chris saw the world through red mist as he stomped over to the straightforward teen, grasped the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall. "I know the meaning of that freakin' phrase!" Chris clarified. "Who gave you the right to judge how I perform in my matches?"

The raggedly-dressed boy gave Chris a blank look as he gave the blond-haired boy a solid jab to his gut, causing Chris to release him. He then wiped away some imaginary dust from his shoulders before setting his sights on Chris who was gripping his stomach tightly and coughing sporadically.

"Who gave you the right to judge that I am not fit to judge how you perform in your matches?" the brown-haired boy countered. He brushed a few strands of his hair that had fallen in front of his right eye to the side before he continued, "Unlike you, the word 'research' is a constant presence in my mind. Take you for example. Your full name is Christopher 'David' Moore. You are nineteen-years old and were born in Sandgem Town. Your starter Pokemon is a Charmander which has evolved into a Charizard. You have a younger brother who goes by the name of Joshua 'Josh' Moore. That last one was a random and useless fact for your information."

The blue-eyed boy glared at the brunette as he accused, "Are you a stalker or something?" He was still rubbing the spot where the teen's fist had struck him.

The hetechromia-eyed boy purposely ignored Chris's accusation as he resumed, "I could effortlessly state one hundred useless facts about you but I am short on time. As that is the case, I shall only focus on the important ones. When you were twelve-years old, you competed in your first regional-level Pokemon League; the Indigo Plateau Conference. You made it to the round of 16. The most interesting fact about your loss was that you were up 3-0 going into the break but ended up losing 6-3. Judging from your character, you most likely got overconfident and started making stupid mistakes." He added, "I suppose the general public could sympathize with you on that occasion since it was your first tournament. I presumed that the experience would make you more cautious in the future. Amazingly, it didn't as a year later, you lost in the quarter-finals of the Silver Conference despite at one time having a 4-1 lead over your opponent."

"What's it to you then?" Chris retorted.

The brunette blankly stared at Chris before he detached himself from the wall and walked towards the battlefield away from Chris. He then halted his movements and, without facing Chris, stated, "Unbelievable. You still refuse to admit your faults. I pity you." With that said, he continued on his way towards the battlefield.

Chris glared at the brown-haired boy's disappearing form and forced himself to take a huge calming breath. "Heh, I don't need your damn pity!" Chris yelled out to the teen. However, as he smoothen the creases on his T-shirt, doubt began to settle in his mind. "But, what if he's right? What if... I'm not as good as I thought I was?"

* * *

Ash put his hands behind his head, leaned back against his seat and arched his back, the sky entering his field of vision a second later. "It's too bad that Macy lost," he lamented. "She gave it her all in that match and still came up short."

Niveus's ears perked up when he heard his Trainer's monologue. The monologue was converted into a conversation when Niveus offered, _"That's the way battling works, Ash. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whose strength as a Trainer is more superior because it all comes down to luck."_

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "That Head Smash was the turning point of the match. I don't think Typhlosion was even conscious when he fired that Blast Burn. There was no rational thinking involved in Typhlosion's case, only adrenalin."

Ash's Pikachu merely nodded his head in agreement as his thoughts drifted back to that feeling of loneliness he experienced earlier_. "It's coming back again," _he moaned silently._ "Maybe I should tell Ash about my problem." _Niveus hazarded a glance at his Trainer and wished he had not as he noticed that Ash's eyes were sparkling with excitement and competitiveness. The brown-eyed Pikachu sighed in exasperation. _"He looks so happy," _he observed. _"Ever since the whole Team Plasma drama, there was always sadness in his eyes. I don't ever want to see that look ever again." _Niveus once again sighed, this time in defeat. _"Looks like I have to deal with this problem on my own."_

The black-haired teen unlatched his eyes from the sky and glanced at his new Poketch to check the time. It was a quarter past noon. "Cilan said that we should meet at the park by one o'clock for lunch," Ash remembered.

The emcee suddenly announced, "And we're back! For all of you who chose to stay in your seats, you're lucky as you'll be treated to a second match! This time, we shall be witnessing the first match of Group XXI!"

Ash thought for a moment and shrugged. "I suppose watching one more match wouldn't hurt anyone," he decided. As he propped his elbows against the guard rail, he wondered, "I wonder how Michael's fairing? If I remember correctly, he's in Group XXII so he should be competing in one of the stadiums today."

* * *

Ash was correct as Michael was indeed competing in one stadiums; Stadium 6 to be exact. In fact, he was currently engaged in a heated battle against Marina, a fellow group member. It had been a very topsy-turvy battle from the get-go. Marina's Wigglytuff had easily defeated Micheal's Alakazam but the blue-haired Trainer immediately returned the favour by having his Lucario, nicknamed Rage defeat the Balloon Pokemon. Marina then sent out her Mienshao, the Martial Arts Pokemon. Long story short, it became an all-out brawl between the two pure Fighting-type Pokemon. Their clash lasted about thirty minutes before Rage managed to beat Mienshao with a well-placed Aura Sphere to the side of her head. However, Rage was left extremely fatigued from his effort in subduing his opponent, leaving Michael no choice but to retire Rage.

"Trainers, send out your last Pokemon!" the referee instructed.

Michael retrieved a Poke Ball from his belt and lofted it into the air. "Cloud, game mode!" he exclaimed. The Shiny Pikachu emerged from the Poke Ball and landed on all fours. She glanced worriedly at Michael from the corner of her eye before setting her gaze forwards and patiently awaited her opponent's appearance.

Marina frowned a little before she shouted, "Wani Wani, battle stance!" The light which was released from the Poke Ball materialized into a Feraligatr, the Big Jaw Pokemon.

"The final battle shall be fought by a Pikachu and a Feraligatr!" the emcee narrated as Cloud and Wani Wani's images lit up below their respective Trainer's on the screen atop the stadium. "The type advantage goes to Michael!"

"Type advantage means nothing," Marina soliloquized. "Wani Wani, use Water Gun!"

The Feraligatr nodded and released a spiral of water at Cloud.

"Cloud, dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Michael ordered.

Cloud never considered herself to be a vain Pokemon but she just could not help but execute a backflip to avoid the Water Gun. Though she respected all her opponents to an extent, she possessed a sense of playfulness that would almost always lead her to showcase her amazing acrobatic skills to her opponents. She just loved to see their reactions. In this case, Wani Wani glared at her through half-lidded eyes. Cloud stifled a giggle before she did a pirouette in mid-air and fired five bolts of lightning towards Wani Wani.

"Rock Tomb, Wani Wani!" Marina shouted.

Wani Wani promptly lifted his arm and slammed a fist into the ground. Suddenly, a pillar of grey stone erupted out of the ground in front of the Feraligatr.

The five lightning bolts struck the pillar of stone, completely enveloping it with electricity. Cracks started to appear on its surface as it channelled the electricity into the ground. The tip of the pillar was blown apart, sending shards of rock flying everywhere. Still, the stone pillar held its ground as the flow of electricity ended.

"Great defensive manoeuvre by Feraligatr!" the emcee complimented. "That Rock Tomb not only acted like a shield but a lightning rod as well as it channelled the electricity into the ground!"

Marina silently cheered as she commanded, "Follow that up with Superpower."

On cue, the Feraligatr's body took on a blue glow as her physical capabilities were greatly augmented. She then wrapped her arms around the pillar of stone and effortlessly detached it from the ground. After that, Wani Wani shifted the pillar and ended up holding it above her right shoulder. With a devious grin, she hurled the pillar of stone at Cloud as if the pillar was like a javelin.

"Dodge and use Quick Attack," Michael instructed.

Again, Cloud was faced with a decision. She could either be like any other Pokemon and dodge the spear-like projectile by sidestepping it or be unique by dodging the attack with flair and grace. Predictably, she chose the latter as she cartwheeled to the right, avoiding the projectile which struck the spot where she had been standing. Her graceful manoeuvre evoked applause from some of the spectators.

_"There I go again," _Cloud giggled._ "Perhaps I am a bit vain..., about my abilities anyway. Thank Arceus I don't give too much thought into my appearance. Hmm..., does Niveus like my appearance or should I convince Michael to take me to the spa?" _A look of disgust drifted across her face as she mentally scolded herself, _"Focus, Cloud. You're in the middle of a battle. You can think about Niveus later."_

With her mind focused back on reality, she dashed towards Wani Wani on all fours with a white streak trailing behind her.

"Wani Wani, use Focus Blast," Marina countered.

The Big Jaw Pokemon opened her maw and fired several orbs of blue energy at the oncoming Pikachu.

"Continue forward in a zig-zag pattern," Michael told Cloud.

As the first blue sphere of energy came to within a few inches of hitting Cloud, the Mouse Pokemon made a sharp turn to the left and avoided the blue orb which exploded upon contact with the ground, sending dust into the air. Cloud was not out of the woods yet as she came face to face with another energy sphere. Thankfully, her brain registered this fact as it sent the necessary motor impulses to her limbs and thereby allowing her to execute a sharp turn to the right and dodge the spherical projectile. Like she did with the first projectile, she dodged the third by turning sharply to the left, not only completing the zig-zag manoeuvre but managing to close the distance between her and Wani Wani to just ten feet.

"Excellent weaving there by Pikachu!" the emcee praised.

Michael immediately commanded, "Jump and use Iron Tail!"

The Shiny Pikachu channelled some aura to her legs and leaped into the air. Thanks to the aura-powered jump, she got to within three feet from Wani Wani in a flash. Her tail promptly took on a metallic sheen as she twisted her body and smacked her tail directly on her opponent's face with surprising strength, sending the Feraligatr sliding backwards with her hand clutching her face in pain.

"Knock that Pikachu back with Aqua Tail!" Marina shouted.

Wani Wani deftly stuck out her tail and a small stream spiralled around it. She then spun her body and swung the tail at Cloud.

Speaking of Cloud, she had no time to react as she the Aqua Tail slammed into her gut, knocking the wind out of her and sending the Mouse Pokemon flying backwards.

"Pikachu is sent flying about half the length of the battlefield!" the emcee observed. "This is a testament to Feraligatr's great strength!"

Cloud glanced behind her shoulder and saw that the ground was getting closer. Not wanting to suffer from a bad back, the Shiny Pikachu tucked her knees against her chest and began to spin around in circles. As she got closer to the ground, she uncurled herself, stretched out her legs and landed safely on the ground.

"We are witnessing yet another display of acrobatics from Pikachu!" the emcee stated. He then inquired to the crowd, "On a scale of one to ten, what score should we give to this Pikachu for that display?"

The crowd was very receptive to the emcee's question as they chanted, "Ten, ten, ten!"

Cloud giggled and scratched her head sheepishly while Michael rubbed his temples exasperatedly.

Marina noticed that both Michael and Cloud were distracted so she hastily ordered, "Ice Beam, Wani Wani!"

Wani Wani eagerly opened her mouth and formed a light blue ball in front of it. The ball of energy then condensed and fired multiple light blue beams from it straight at Cloud.

"Cloud, watch out!" Michael yelled out.

The second Cloud opened her eyes, her body was struck by the light blue beams. She started to become encompassed in ice until she was completely frozen from head to toe.

"Okay, end it with Hydro Pump!" Marina giddily ordered, knowing that her victory was assured.

Sensing her Trainer's eagerness, Wani Wani began to charge up the attack. The red spikes atop her head promptly took on a light red, signifying that the attack was ready. On cue, the Feraligatr released a powerful blast of water from her mouth towards her frozen opponent.

"I think it is safe to say that this is the end for Pikachu," the emcee narrated.

Michael grew very irritated at the emcee for his bold declaration. "Cloud, if you can hear me, vibrate your body to a frequency where it allows you to break out of the ice. Then, use Volt Tackle," he explained.

The blue-haired teen was not sure if Cloud had heard him so the apprehension on his face was understandable. However, his worry began to ebb away as he saw that cracks started to appear on the ice and yellow electricity sparked off it ever so subtly.

Just as the Hydro Pump was about to blast the ice containing Cloud away, the ice shattered and Cloud immediately jumped into the air, avoiding the powerful stream of water in the process. Cloud then surrounded her black-furred body with crackling electricity and lunged forwards and downwards at Wani Wani. The Mouse Pokemon slammed onto Wani Wani's head, chanelling the electricity from her lithe body into the larger female's body which shocked the Water-type Pokemon.

"What a shocking turn of events!" the emcee yelled out. "Pikachu has broken out of its ice prison and dealt Feraligatr some massive damage with that Volt Tackle!"

It was Michael's turn to feel giddy. "End it with Iron Tail!"

Cloud, who was still in mid-air, bent her body backwards and prepared an Iron Tail. Almost effortlessly, she snapped her body forwards and smashed her hardened tail on Wani Wani's head. The momentum behind that attack was so strong that it caused Wani Wani's head to smash onto the ground. The force at which Wani Wani's head came into contact with the ground actually cracked it and raised a cloud of dust over the two combatants.

The dust cloud dissipated to reveal Cloud who was sitting down with one leg bent upright and the other one crossed under it with an elbow propped on her knee while her other elbow rested on her lap. It was as if she was contemplating something. The dust particles dispersed in the air further to reveal Wani Wani who was knocked out.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle!" the referee declared as he raised his green flag. "The match goes to Michael 'Silver' Moonwell from Twinleaf Town!"

Wani Wani's icon blinked out and Michael's image was magnified to fill up the entire screen with the word 'WINNER' flashing below it.

As a sign of respect to his opponent, Michael did not do a victory celebration. He never did have one anyway. Instead, he whistled for Cloud to return to his side.

Cloud was indeed contemplating on something. She was arguing with herself about whether Niveus seemed like a Pokemon who cared for her appearance or not. The Mouse Pokemon was pulled from her thoughts when the sound of Michael's whistle stimulated her sense of hearing. The Shiny Pikachu immediately stood up, dashed over to her Trainer and leaped onto his right shoulder.

Michael gave the fur below Cloud's chin a gentle caress, eliciting a sigh of contentment from the Shiny Pikachu. He smiled at her before departing the battlefield with Cloud in tow.

* * *

The blue-haired teen had been in a foul mood ever since he woke up from bed. The victory he had achieved just now offered him brief respite. He tried so hard to look on the bright side of things but the feeling of betrayal in his heart was too painful to ignore. Michael furrowed his brows as he thought of the person that sent his emotions into a downward spiral.

Cloud sensed the negativity emanating from her Trainer's body and attempted to calm Michael. _"Michael, it is not got for you to dwell on the past," _she advised in a pleading tone. _"She did not mean to hurt you. She only wanted you to move on with your life and not get chained down by grief."_

"How would you know, Cloud?" Michael retorted whilst giving the Pikachu a venomous glare. He hissed, "You said that she did not want me to be chained down by grief but look at me now. She has accomplished the exact opposite!" His voice was increasing in volume as the seconds ticked by. "You don't know how I feel, Cloud. How could you? You get to see your parents whenever we visit Kanto! She was all I had left when our parents died and what did she do? She went off and disappeared on me! Don't tell me to calm down, Cloud! Back off!"

To say that the black-furred Pikachu was shocked would be an understatement. She had never been yelled at in that manner throughout her nine years of being under Michael's ownership. Sure Michael sometimes got angry at her but most of the time it was due to the exasperation of her vanity. This time though, Cloud sensed genuine anger from Michael and he would not be so lenient as to forgive her easily this time. The mere thought of her relationship with Michael being forever strained brought tears to her eyes.

Michael started to feel a little dampness on the right sleeve of his shirt. He turned his head to glance at the aforementioned sleeve but instead his eyes were drawn to Cloud who had a steady flow of tears running down her cheeks. Michael immediately regretted yelling at the Mouse Pokemon. He knew that Cloud was only trying to voice out her concern for his wellbeing but he was too blinded by rage to notice that.

The blue-eyed boy suddenly jerked to a stop and the momentum pushed Cloud off his right shoulder. He deftly stretched out his arms and caught Cloud by her armpits. Michael then turned her around so that she could face him. Gulit replaced anger when Michael gazed at Cloud's teary eyes. The teen slowly brought Cloud closer and hugged the Pikachu with her forehead resting against his chest. He apologetically rubbed her back in circles as he listened to her sobbing. The fact that his shirt was getting wet from absorbing Cloud's tears did not seem to bother him as he hummed a soft tune to calm his Pikachu down. Once the sobbing had ceased, Michael craned his neck downwards to look at Cloud. At the same time, Cloud craned her neck upwards to look at Michael.

"I'm sorry, Cloud," Michael whispered. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I get that you want to help me but some problems are best faced alone. I don't want you getting dragged into my personal matters. I know you care for me but could you please be selfish for once and let me handle this on my own?"

Cloud looked deep into Michael's eyes. In the midst of all that grief, she sensed a warmth in them that reassured her that he would be fine. Wiping her tears with her paws, she nodded to him.

Michael smiled and gave her a small peck on the forehead. "Thanks, Cloud."

The Shiny Pikachu's spirits soared sky high as she perched herself back onto Michael's right shoulder. She even planted a soft kiss on Michael's cheek to return the favour.

Michael chuckled and was about to take a step forward when he suddenly froze. His eyes became blank before narrowing until his gaze became a glare.

Cloud furrowed her brows in confusion when her Trainer halted his movements again. She took one look at Michael's face before gazing forward. Understanding soon dawned upon her as to why Michael suddenly stopped moving.

A girl stood in their line of sight. Like Michael, she had blue eyes and blue hair that was long in length with three hairclips at the right portion of her head. She was wearing a pink shirt under a white vest, a pair of white pants and pink sneakers. There was also a pearl necklace lopped around her neck. Concern was written all over her face as she stared at them.

It took a lot of self-restraint on Michael's part to not verbally abuse the girl in front of him. Instead, he took a deep breath and counted to ten whilst slowly exhaling the air in his lungs. He then plastered an emotionless mask on his face and walked forward with his eyes fixed straight ahead, passing the girl in the process. He did not even a spare a moment to glance at the blue-haired girl.

The girl turned and called out, "Michael, wait!"

If Michael had heard her, he pretended he had not since he continued to distance himself from the girl.

"Please, Michael!" she pleaded. "Just hear me out."

Michael decided to humour the girl as he stopped in his movements. However, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead rather than on the blue-eyed girl.

"Thank you, Michael," she said in a soft tone. She began, "I j-just wanted to say that I-I'm sorry. For disappearing on you, I-I mean." Since Michael remained silent, she continued, "I know you have a right to be angry at me but you have understand. Pokemon battling meant the world to you. I did not want you to lose focus and give it just for my sake. Your Pokemon would be crushed if you gave up your career as a Pokemon Trainer."

"...Is that all you have to say, Annalyn?" Michael drawled.

Annalyn stuttered, "W-What?" She was shocked as Michael called her by her real name instead of her nickname, Anna.

Michael sighed in exasperation. "Listen," he began, "I am physically and emotionally exhausted. I don't have time to go down memory lane..., especially with you. However, I will say this." He paused for a moment before he resumed, "You are a stupid girl. You think I value my career as a Pokemon Trainer more than my family. Hahahaha. Your perception is so wrong that it is almost funny. I cherish my family more than my damn career. No. After that little stunt you pulled, I think 'cherished' would have been more appropiate in that sentence. You wanted to say that you're sorry? Hmph, then I'm sorry too. Your apology came three years too late. Such a shame." He finally glanced at his sister over his left shoulder and hissed, "I've said everything I wanted to say to you. Leave me alone."

When Michael started to walk away from her, Anna grew desperate and announced, "I have a battle tomorrow. You should come and watch me."

The blue-haired male snickered, "Why would I want to do that? You'll get blown away and bring shame to the family name. I'd rather not be there when that happens."

"I've gotten stronger, Michael," Anna argued. "I will win and won't rest until I get your forgiveness."

"...Such wishful thinking," Michael mocked her. He sent a mocking smirk her way before he departed the scene, leaving behind a distraught little sister.

* * *

"And then, and then, I ordered my Vigoroth to use Focus Punch on Conway's Slowking and BAM, Slowking slammed onto the ground and fainted," Max retold the events of his match to Ash.

Ash praised, "Good job, Max. I was a bit worried when Conway got drawn into your group because his strategies are highly effective."

Max's eyes lit up with joy, thankful for the compliment that Ash had given him. "I admit that his strategies are good," Max said, "but once you figure them out, the foundation of his plan will start to crumble. I don't think he's very good at improvising."

"Yeah, you're spot on," Ash agreed. "You showed him who the better nerd is."

Max pushed his glasses up his nose before he gloated, "Uh-huh. When it comes to nerds, I'm..." Max suddenly paused when he realized what Ash had said. He shouted, "Hey, what do you mean by 'who the better nerd is', huh?"

The black-haired teen held up his hands in an apologetic manner and replied, "It was just a joke, Max. Lighten up, will you?"

In response to Ash's answer, Max pouted, crossed his arms and glanced away from the older boy.

The two boys together with Chris, Dawn and Cilan were currently in the park for lunch. While Cilan was working the grill, Ash, Max and Dawn were chatting rather animatedly by the picnic table. Chris, on the other hand, was seating on the picnic bench with his elbow propped on the picnic table and his chin held by his palm. The blond-haired teen was gazing off into the distance with contemplative look in his eyes.

"Hey, Ash," Max spoke up, "are you free this evening?"

Ash tilted his head in confusion. "Well, I'm thinking of doing some light training with my Pokemon before doing some research on Jeanette," he told Max. "Why you ask?"

No one noticed the slight twitch of Chris's body at the mention of the word 'research'.

Max hummed in thought and pulled out a camcorder. "I was thinking of inviting you to come watch a match with me but it looks like you're occupied."

"Shouldn't you be resting Max?" Dawn asked. "You must be pretty tired after your battle with that creepy Conway." She then suggested, "Perhaps you should take time-off for the rest of the day?"

The bespectacled boy shook his head. "Nope, I feel energized after that victory. Besides, Seishirou will be in this match," he informed Dawn. He added, "He'll be facing off a Dragon-type specialist named Kasumi."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "I thought Seishirou already had a match today," he said. "Why would he have another one?"

Max adjusted his glasses as he explained, "Well, since there are four Trainers in Seishirou's group, the tournament organizers wants the group to finish in tandem with the other Yang groups so there will be two evening session matches today. The matches are between the Trainers of Group I, of course."

Ash nodded in understanding.

Chris snapped himself out of his contemplation when he heard that name. "Do you by any chance mean Kasumi Ryu from Blackthorn City?" he inquired.

"Yep," Max confirmed. A mischievious smirk suddenly drifted across Max's face. "My Arceus, is the 'husband' cheating on his 'wife'? Is this 'mistress' prettier than the 'wife' or is the 'wife' uglier than the 'mistress'?"

Thanks to Max's motor mouth, he was crounching on the ground while clutching his head in pain a second later. There were two sizable bumps on his head; one from the 'husband' and one from the 'wife'.

"You little bastard," Chris growled. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

"How dare you say that I'm ugly?" Dawn hissed. "On another note, I am not Chris's wife or girlfriend for that matter. We. Are. Just. Friends!"

Dawn was so annoyed at Max that she did not notice the crestfallened expression on Chris's face.

Cilan, who was setting up the picnic table, offered, "Wouldn't it be easier to just check the Trainer database? You can determine the taste of his Pokemon much faster and you would expend less effort."

"I would," Max groaned, "but all the info on Seishirou's Pokemon, except the three that he used earlier, are extremely outdated. Based on my research, he has been in retirement for nine years so it is understandable. Besides, I want to see more of his Pokemon in action. He's my idol." Noting the looks on Chris and Ash's faces, Max said, "Sue me."

The Pokemon Connoisseur tapped his chin in a thoughful manner. "I see," he said. "I suppose having fresh ingredients would help you in making the perfect dish." The green-haired Gym Leader then sniffed the air. "Ah, such an exquisite aroma. The taste should be absolutely perfect," he claimed as he walked back to the barbecue grill.

Max stared blankly at Cilan. "What did he say?" Max asked aloud. "I didn't understand a single thing."

"Beats me," Ash drawled, used to not comprehending Cilan's manner of speech.

"I'm not familiar with Connoisseur language," Dawn stated.

"It doesn't matter," Chris said offhandedly. He then looked at Max and continued, "What matters is that I get to accompany you since Ashy-boy here is busy. You should be lucky to have me around to protect you, little buddy."

Max faintly glowered at Chris. "It's not as if there's a huge bullseye on my back," Max grumbled.

"Lunch is served," Cilan announced.

The trio immediately sat down on the picnic benches and looked at the dishes in front of them.

"For today's lunch, I have prepared BBQ Beef Burger with Chipotle Sauce and Herb Crusted Snapper with Verjuice Buerre Blanc Sauce," Cilan explained. "Bon appetit."

"Bon appetit!" the quartet chorused as they quickly dug into their meal.

Ash looked at Max and Chris who were both busy devouring the BBQ Burgers. He was glad that they both had won their opening matches, well..., he was happier at the former more than the latter but he was still glad that they can sleep easy tonight. The more he thought of his upcoming match, the more psyched he got. He was very eager to show the world his strength as a Pokemon Trainer. However, that thought was forced to take a back seat as he had more pressing matters to attend to..., such as finishing his Herb Crusted Snapper.

* * *

Evening came rolling by rather quickly. By then, all of the scheduled matches have been completed..., save for one. The second of the two evening matches had yet to be completed and it was set to take place in Stadium 1. Earlier in the evening, the match between Cole Harding and Jay 'Stella' Ziroc ended in a draw. Now, the crowd was going to be treated to a match between the members of who currently held the top two spots in Group I; Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke and Kasumi Ryu.

For the second time in a single day, Seishirou stood in front of the huge metal wall that would soon slide aside and allowed him to step out into the arena. Contrary to the first time he was in this position, he was not alone. Standing beside him was one of the main battlers of his Pokemon team; Ryujin Kamikaze. The Shiny Charmander looked neither excited nor nervous at the prospect of being one of the battlers in Seishirou's second match. There was not a hint of emotion expressed on his face as the Fire-type stared at the metal wall in front of him.

"It is hard to believe that this is actually the first time you are battling under my name," Seishirou stated. "What are your thoughts on it, Ryujin?"

_"No comment"_ was Ryujin's swift response.

Seishirou sighed and knelt down facing Ryujin who returned the favour by moving his body so that he was facing Seishirou at an angle. Seishirou asked, "Is it really that difficult for you to give me an honest answer?"

The Charmander did not respond to the black-haired teen's question and found the ground more deserving of his attention than the human kneeling opposite him.

Ryujin's caretaker moved his hand to the Lizard Pokemon's chin to tilt the Fire-type's head up to him. Sapphire orbs met turquoise orbs. "Do you consider me as your friend, Ryujin?" Seishirou inquired.

_"Of course,"_ Ryujin confirmed.

"Do you consider me as your Trainer?" Seishirou asked.

_"...No, I mean, I don't know,"_ the Charmander hesitantly answered.

The sapphire-eyed Trainer pursed his lips as he questioned, "If that is really how you feel, then why did you keep your peace when I chose you to be part of this line-up?" He added, "I will not force you to battle under me if you are uncomfortable with me commanding you."

A hint of sadness influenced the tone of his voice when Ryujin explained, _"Make no mistake. I'm... trying really hard to see you as you, not... Terence. When Terence sent me out to battle, we felt that our hearts... synchronized with each other. I thought... that if I felt that connection to you as well..., then I could finally forget Terence and accept you as my Trainer."_

Seishirou shook his head as he stated, "Terence left you two parting gifts before he... left this world." Ignoring the sudden twitch of Ryujin's body, Seishirou resumed, "One of those gifts is that 'thing' wrapped under those bandages on your right arm while the other one-" The enigmatic teen moved his hand and hovered his palm in front of Ryujin's eyes before he concluded his sentence. "-is this pair of eyes. His pair of eyes, to be exact."

Ryujin started to feel a little bit depressed as he groaned, _"Don't remind me."_

"These gifts, especially those eyes," Seishirou clarified, "contain fragments of Terence's soul. You have bonded with those fragments, Ryujin. You could not forget Terence no matter how hard you try."

_"Then, then what do you want from me?"_ Ryujin shouted in defeat. _"If I can't let go of Terence, what do you want me to do?"_

Seishirou answered, "Simple. I want you to move on with your life."

Ryujin scowled faintly at Seishirou. _"How is that any different from me trying to let go of Terence?"_

"I was there... when Terence exhaled his last breath," Seishirou told him. "His final wish was that I help lift the burdens weighing you down . He knew that you would immediately start to blame yourself for his death once you regain consciousness so he asked me for assistance."

The Lizard Pokemon stared unblinkingly at the nineteen-year old, trying to comprehend his words.

The human of the pair once again moved his hand and gripped Ryujin's right arm. "Terence... does not wish for you to... sever the bond you had with him. He just wants you to accept the fact that there was nothing you could do on that day to save his life."

Ryujin whimpered, _"Easier said than done. Everyday I tell myself 'If only I was faster' or 'If I had not been so weak'. I really believe that I could've prevented Terence's death. It's... just so hard."_

Seishirou smiled and hugged Ryujin, drawing a gasp from the Lizard Pokemon. "That is why I'm here, Ryujin," Seishirou whispered. "I am here to help you. However, you must first come to terms with Terence's death on your own. Until that happens, I can only do so much."

A lone tear trickled down Ryujin's cheek as he reminisced about the happier times he had with Terence.

The sapphire-eyed teen pulled back from the hug and noticed the tear straight away. He kissed the tear away with a calm expression on his face. Seishirou could not help but chuckle when he noticed the very visible blush across Ryujin's cheeks. Had Ryujin been a normal Charmander, the blush would have been very hard to notice since the 'canvas' was the same colour as the blush. Seishirou then pulled out a green ribbon from his pocket and tied it over the bandages on Ryujin's right arm.

The Shiny Charmander gazed at the ribbon tied around his arm. He asked, _"What purpose does this ribbon serve?"_

Seishirou explained, "As long as you have that ribbon on, I want you think of the happier times you had with Terence. If you only focus on those positive memories, the probability that you will come to terms with Terence's death shall increase significantly. Once you are very sure that you have overcomed the guilt that is staining your heart, I want you to remove the ribbon and I guarantee you that your heart, your soul and your consciousness shall be as light as feathers. However, the success of this form of therapy depends on you. I cannot control what you think so if you stray from this road to recovery by thinking of all those negative thoughts, you only have yourself to blame."

_"How will I know that I have truly accepted Terence's death?"_ Ryujin asked Seishirou speculatively. The Shiny Charmander received a mysterious smirk in response to his question.

"You'll get a certain... feeling, I guess," Seishirou offered vaguely.

Ryujin narrowed his eyes at Seishirou but kept silent.

A second later, the metal wall slid aside and the noise reverberating in the arena echoed in the tunnel as well.

Seishirou immediately stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, shall we go, Ryujin?" Seishirou motioned to the battlefield.

The Lizard Pokemon closed his eyes before opening them again. In a flash, all of the emotion in his eyes rotted away. _"Understood, Syuusuke-san," _he said.

The bespectacled teen glared half-heartedly at Ryujin and complained, "It has been nine years, Ryujin. Are you incapable of calling me by my first name?"

Ryujin's eyes briefly flashed with amusement. _"Maybe later," _he uttered.

"...Never mind," Seishirou sighed as he walked out into the arena, leaving behind a triumphant Charmander.

_"I win again," _Ryujin chuckled as he followed Seishirou into the arena, a few steps behind.

* * *

"Hi there," Kasumi chirped at her opponent. "My name is Kasumi Ryu from Blackthorn City. I am sixteen-years old and I dream to become the strongest Dragon-type Trainer, better than Clair and Lance. One of the ways that I can gain recognition is by winning this tournament. Sorry but I am gonna win this match." She then extended her hand towards Seishirou and said, "Let's have a good battle all the same."

"Ah," Seishirou muttered as he shook the magenta-haired girl's hand. He was a little bit lost on why the girl standing opposite him would state her goals and the way that she was going to achieve them. He would not gain anything from hearing those irrelevants facts anyway. However, he deduced by watching the girl's body language that it was most likely her way of psyching herself up for the upcoming battle.

Kasumi looked down and noticed Ryujin. "Wow, a Shiny Charmander," she gasped in awe as she invaded Ryujin's personal space. "Those bandages make him look so tough and that ribbon makes him look so cute."

Ryujin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Nine years ago, he would have been happy to receive those compliments. Now though, he could care less about whether or not people think he was 'cute' or 'tough'. In human standards, he considered himself to be a young adult. In his honest opinion, praises and compliments were for 'children' and 'teenagers'.

The magenta-haired girl examined Ryujin from every angle and grew very curious about his eyes. She leaned in closer to Ryujin's face, drawing out an annoyed grumble from the Fire-type Pokemon. "What's with his eyes?" she wondered aloud. "They are so... human-like."

Sensing that Ryujin was just a moment away from using Slash on Kasumi, mostly out of annoyance, Seishirou sardonically advised, "Unless you want to have scratch marks on your face, I suggest you distance yourself from Ryujin."

Kasumi got the message as she stood up and took a few steps back. She scratched her head sheepishly, set her sights on Ryujin and apologized, "Sorry 'bout that. Kinda got carried away."

The Shiny Charmander did not display any reaction from Kasumi's apology. The human sweatdropped when Ryujin glanced away from her.

"Now that we are done with the formalities, let's battle already," Seishirou suggested. "I promised to cook my brother his favourite fried rice tonight."

Seishirou's opponent closed her eyes and clapped her hands together. "Aw, isn't that just cute?" she cooed genuinely. "I promise to beat you very fast so that your brother won't starve to death."

When Kasumi lifted her eyelids, she found out that she was left standing alone at the centre of the battlefield as Seishirou and Ryujin were lazily tapping their feet in the green box on their side of the battlefield. She flushed with embarassment before sprinting to the red box on her side of the battlefield.

"It is now time for the second of the two evening matches, ladies and gentleman," the emcee narrated. "Earlier in the day, Seishirou defeated Cole with a score of 3-1 while Kasumi defeated Jay with a score of 3-2. Though both Seishirou and Kasumi each have three points, the top spot in the group is held by Seishirou by virtue of having loss one less battle than Kasumi. The stakes are high since the winner of this match is guaranteed a place in the next round. Who will emerge victorious? It's time we find out. Like the first evening match, this one will follow a three-on-three battle format."

On the screen, both Seishirou and Kasumi's images were displayed with three empty slots below each Trainer's image. A wheel consisting of red and green segments then appeared in the middle of the screen. A light started flashing through the segments before stopping on a green segment.

"Looks like Seishirou will have the honour of sending out his Pokemon first!" the emcee stated.

"This will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle with substitutions allowed for both sides!" the referee announced. "The winner will be decided when all three Pokemon from one side are unable to continue battling!"

Seishirou nonchalantly unclipped a Poke Ball from his belt and lobbed it into the air without a uttering a single syllable. On cue, a light burst out of the Poke Ball and materialized into Scout, Seishirou's Meowth.

"A surprising choice by Seishirou," the emcee observed as Scout's icon appeared on the screen. "He has chose to start off with a Meowth!"

Kasumi swiftly chose a Poke Ball from her belt. "Unleash your power, Flygon!" she exclaimed as she tossed her Poke Ball and released her Flygon.

"As expected from a Dragon-type specialist from Blackthorn City," the emcee monotoned as Flygon's image appeared below Kasumi's on the screen. "I'd be surprised if Kasumi didn't start off with a Dragon-type Pokemon. Well..., part Dragon-type would be a more accurate description."

"Kasumi Ryu from Blackthorn City versus Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke from Castelia City! The first battle is between Flygon and Meowth!" the referee exclaimed. "Begin!"

"Flygon, Sonic Boom," Kasumi shouted, ordering the first attack. She elaborated, "Aim those shockwaves around that Meowth."

The Mystic Pokemon began to flap his wings at supersonic speed, the wings turning into a blur in the process. Multiple shockwaves were then released from Flygon's wings as they struck the ground around Scout in a circular pattern. Scout was enshrouded by dust due to the explosions around him.

"Meowth's sense of sight has been taken away!" the emcee cried.

The green-eyed girl then commanded, "Now use Dragon Claw!"

Flygon nodded as he channelled some aura into the claws on his right hand, making them glow a brilliant green. The Mystic Pokemon deftly darted forwad and dived into the cloud of dust. Moments later, Scout was blown out of the dust cloud towards Seishirou and landed on his back while Flygon shot up into the air and dispelled the cloud of dust with a flap of his wings.

"It's been only fifteen seconds into the match and Meowth has already been dealt some damage!" the emcee alluded.

"Again, use Dragon Claw!" Kasumi repeated her command. It was evident that she was not pulling any punches as she kept pilling the pressure.

The sixteen-year old's Pokemon stretched out his arm and swiftly readied another Dragon Claw. The Mystic Pokemon wordlessly surged forward to deal some more damage to Scout who was clutching his back, _seemingly_ in absolute pain.

"Flygon is closing in for another Dragon Claw!" the emcee exclaimed. "Seishirou has not even given a single command to his Meowth. Does he have a trick up his sleeve or does he not have the will to compete in this match?"

Seishirou faintly smirked. "It is more than just a trick," he whispered. He then instructed, "Scout, use Flash and then jump on Flygon's back."

Scout waited until Flygon was a little bit closer before executing his orders. The Scratch Cat Pokemon immediately emitted a bright light from the coin atop his head, blinding Flygon and causing him to fly lower to the ground. The Normal-type then turned his back towards his temporarily-blinded opponent before he somersaulted into the air and landed on Flygon's back.

Flygon felt the added pressure on his back which snapped him out of his temporary blindness. The Flygon felt curious and turned his neck to check the cause of the added pressure. He shocked to find that the cause was in fact his opponent who had a devious grin on his face.

"Uh-oh, I don't think I like the grin on Meowth's face," the emcee stated suspensefully.

Seishirou adjusted his glasses and commanded, "Combine the speed of Fury Swipes with the power of Slash."

Scout licked his lips and stretched out his arms. The claws on each of his paws suddenly glowed white and elongated into four-inch spikes. Scout then proceeded to slash Flygon's back, the time interval between each slash averaging less than a second. Flygon cried out in pain as Scout's long claws slashed deeply into his back. In fact, the wounds were so deep that blood started to ooze out of the wounds. Scout saw that an oppurtune moment to hurt Flygon even more has arrived. Sadistically, Scout slashed at the wounds, the blood spraying off his claws and dripping onto the battlefield.

"Kasumi better think of something fast or else Flygon might faint from blood loss," the emcee observed, rather disgusted at the sight of blood on the battlefield.

"Flygon, use your speed to shake the Meowth off!" Kasumi yelled out.

Despite all the pain aching throughout his back, the Mystic Pokemon complied with his Trainer's order as he sped up and flew around the stadium in circles in an attempt to shake the sadistic Meowth off. However, Flygon was unsuccessful as Scout tightly gripped Flygon's back, preventing him from being blown away by the wind.

Kasumi started to get a little annoyed. "Flygon, fly up!"

Flygon, with Scout still gripping his back, travelled to the centre of the battlefield before arching his body inwards and rocketing up into the sky. The wind blasted Scout's face as his grip on Flygon was starting to loosen.

"Bad move, Kasumi," Seishirou informed her. He called out, "Scout, plunge your claws deep into Flygon's back!"

Scout's grin grew wider as he stabbed his four-inch claws into Flygon's back. Just for added effect, the Meowth made a screwing motion with his claws to embed them deeper into his opponent's back. Speaking of his opponent, Flygon cried out in agony.

"Flygon!" Kasumi shouted in concern.

"Flygon is in a lot of pain!" the emcee bellowed. "Could things get any worse for Kasumi?"

A second after the emcee asked that rhetorical question, Seishirou instructed, "Scout, alter Flygon's direction of motion towards the battlefield."

With his claws lodged deep into Flygon's back, Scout leaned backwards and pulled Flygon so that they made a loop in the air before plummeting straight down towards the neutral battlefield. The pair of Pokemon seemed to picking up speed with each passing second.

"Amazing, we are witnessing a variant of Seismic Toss!" the emcee informed the stunned audience. "Should this attack failed to be stopped, it's all over for Flygon!"

Kasumi, in desperation, ordered, "Kasumi, use DragonBreath on the ground to soften the impact!"

Flygon barely heard Kasumi but he obeyed nonetheless. He opened his mouth and exhaled a green and yellow beam of air at the ground. Through blurry eyes, Flygon could see that the ground was starting to crack and get 'softer' in a sense that less force would be required to break into the ground. Despite this, Flygon knew that he would be in a world of pain in three, two, one.

Both Pokemon crashed into the floor of the arena, sending dust up in the air and shards of rocks flying in every direction. Some of the rocks collided with the safety walls with brute force, cracking them in the process but the damage on the walls was the least of the crowd's concern as their sights were glued on the cloud of dust at the centre of the battlefield.

Suddenly, Scout shot of the dust cloud and landed on his Trainer's side of the battlefield. Seishirou noticed that the Meowth had a pissed off expression plastered on his face. The enigmatic teen surveyed Scout's body and understood the reason behind Scout's displeasure. The Scratch Cat Pokemon's body was marred with scratches and bruises though they were not all that serious. However, Seishirou found his attention drawn to Scout's feet. The Meowth was limping on his right leg.

"Hmm..., your carelessness is utterly amusing and extremely laughable," Seishirou commented with little emotion.

Scout faintly scowled at Seishirou. _"Shaddup," _he hissed. _"Don't rub it in."_

The light brown-coloured dust died down to reveal a severely injured Flygon. Blood was flowing from his back to the ground, his body was shaking uncontrollably and covered with laceration wounds. He struggled to stay on his feet as his body sagged and swooned. Sending one last glare to Scout, the Mystic Pokemon collapsed on the ground.

"Flygon is unable to battle!" the referee announced as he raised his green flag. Up on the screen, Flygon's icon faded completely.

"First blood goes to Seishirou!" the emcee commented loudly. The crowd cheered wildly.

Kasumi took a deep breath before recalling Flygon back into his Poke Ball and clipping it on her belt. She unclipped another one and lofted it into the air. "Unleash your power, Axew!"

The Tusk Pokemon native to the Unova region emerged from the Poke Ball and landed on his feet. He skipped merrily from side to side upon being sent out to battle.

"Kasumi's second Pokemon is a lively Axew!" the emcee exclaimed as Axew's icon flashed into existence on the screen.

"Axew, use Dig!" Kasumi immediately ordered.

The Dragon-type Pokemon eagerly obeyed as he burrowed into the ground and disappeared from Scout's line of sight.

"Close your eyes and feel the vibrations with your feet," Seishirou instructed.

The Meowth nodded and closed his eyes, heightening his sense of hearing in the process. He stood still as he tried to detect any vibrations coming from his opponent under the ground. Suddenly, he felt a vibration travel up his left leg and hastily leaped to the right. A second later, Axew surfaced from the ground at the exact spot where Scout had been standing.

Kasumi hastily commanded, "Use Slash on the Meowth's right side!"

The three digits on Axew's left forelimb promptly glowed white and lengthen considerably. The Tusk Pokemon then swiped at Scout's right side just like his Trainer ordered.

"Dodge," Seishirou called out to Scout.

Scout avoided Axew's swipe by angling his body to the side. However, he accidentally applied pressure on his right leg, causing his face to scrunch up in pain and his body stance to falter.

The younger of the two Pokemon Trainers saw her chance and shouted, "X-Scissor, Axew!"

Axew excitedly nodded as he crossed his arms across his chest in an 'X'-like fashion and channelled his aura into the arms, making them glow light blue which created a blue X. The tusk Pokemon then ran forward and struck Scout with the X, sending the Scratch Cat Pokemon sliding backwards.

"That was a strong X-Scissor from such a small Axew!" the emcee praised. "Like they say, 'Appearances can be deceptive'."

"Counter with Faint Attack," Seishirou commanded.

Scout halted his backward momentum before disappearing with a static 'buzz'. He then reappeared and slammed into Axew's side.

"Meowth counters with a well-placed Faint Attack!" the emcee yelled out excitedly.

"Grr...," Kasumi growled. "Use Aerial Ace!"

Axew landed on the ground with the tip of his left foot before using that foot to leap into the air. His body then became surrounded with white streaks which granted him the ability to fly, albeit temporarily. The Tusk Pokemon made full use of this temporary ability by flying low to the ground and slamming his body into his opponent.

"Iron Tail," Seishirou ordered calmly.

Scout arched his body inwards and executed a handstand. His tail took on a metallic sheen as he did a 360 degree spin, smacking Axew's cheek with the his metallic tail in the process.

"It's counter after counter after counter, folks!" the emcee bellowed. The emcee's excitement was contagious as the crowd cheered loudly for Scout and Axew.

"Axew, twist in mid-air and use Dragon Rage!" Kasumi commanded.

The Tusk Pokemon executed, in Simon Cowell's words, 'an utterly horrendous and sad excuse of a pirouette' before charging up a blue orb of draconic energy and firing it at Scout.

The Meowth moved to dodge the Dragon Rage but he accidentally pulled the muscle in his right leg, sending him down his right knee. By the time he transfered some of his aura into his left leg for some extra jumping power, it was too late. The orb of draconic energy exploded upon contact with Scout's gut, propelling him into the air. He crashed onto the ground and skidded on his back before coming to a stop about two feet away from Seishirou.

The black-haired teen looked down at Scout. The Meowth was unconscious.

The referee lingered his gaze on Scout for awhile before he raised his red flag and declared, "Meowth is unable to battle!" Up on the screen, Meowth's icon faded away completely, denoting his defeat.

"Axew has pulled one back for Kasumi!" the emcee exclaimed. "What Pokemon will Seishirou send out next? Is it going to be that Shiny Charmander standing next to him?"

"Great job, Axew," Kasumi commended the Tusk Pokemon.

_"Thanks, Kasumi," _Axew said as he jumped up and down in glee.

After returning Scout back into his Poke Ball, Seishirou gave the emcee his answer by unclipping another Poke Ball from his belt. He whispered, "Show them your will, Shard."

The Poke Ball promptly snapped open and released a Glaceon, the Ice-type evolution of Eevee.

Axew was not all that gleeful when Shard entered his sights. _"Uh-oh," _he mouthed.

"Seishirou's second Pokemon is a Glaceon!" the emcee stated as Shard's icon appeared in the slot below Scout's. "Axew's in trouble since the Dragon-type Pokemon is weak to Ice-based attacks!"

Kasumi noticed that Axew was getting nervous so she sought to relieve his tension. "Don't worry, Axew," she reassured the Tusk Pokemon. "Just listen to me and everything will be fine."

Axew took a deep breath and exhaled, his body relieved of tension almost immediately.

"Such a touching sight," Seishirou remarked cynically. "Shard, start off with Icy Wind."

The Glaceon opened her mouth and blew a beam of wind with sparkling blue snow in it at Axew.

"Seishirou is looking to take full advantage over the fact that Axew is weak to Ice-based attacks!" the emcee observed.

"Axew, dodge and use Incinerate!" Kasumi countered.

The Dragon-type Pokemon jumped to the side and narrowly avoided the Icy Wind. Axew then spewed out a wide stream of fire from his mouth towards Shard.

Seishirou ordered, "Shard, counter with Ice Breath."

Shard nodded as she opened her mouth and exhaled a cool breath of ice and hail to counter the stream of fire from Axew.

The attacks came into contact at the centre of the battlefield. Ice and fire fought for dominance but neither element was able to assert its power over the other. As a result, an explosion occured and obscured both Axew and Shard from each other's view.

"Who's gonna take advantage of the smokescreen in the middle of the battlefield?" the emcee wondered aloud.

The emcee got his answer as a thin beam of ice shot out of the smoke and struck Axew's body. The Tusk Pokemon cried out in pain.

"Axew!" Kasumi called out in concern.

When the smoke died down, Seishirou commanded, "Follow it up with Ice Shard."

The Fresh Snow Pokemon held no pity for the little Axew as she shot multiple shards of ice from her mouth at the Tusk Pokemon.

"Axew, melt those ice shards with Dragon Pulse!" Kasumi told the Dragon-type Pokemon.

Though Axew was reeling from the pain of being struck by an Ice Beam attack, he managed to compose himself and launched a shock wave full of draconic energy generated from his gaping mouth. The Dragon Pulse engulfed the ice shards that were heading straight for Axew and melted them.

"Seishirou is commanding his Glaceon to launch wave after wave of Ice-based attacks!" the emcee noted. "How long can Axew withstand this monumental pressure?"

With an emotionless mask plastered on his face, Seishiro instructed, "Freeze Axew with Blizzard."

Shard's eyes took a pristine white glow as she slowly opened her mouth and released a ferocious blizzard towards Axew.

"Axew, dodge it, quick!" Kasumi yelled out in desperation.

Unfortunately for Kasumi, Axew did not hear her as he was rooted to the spot where he was currently standing on. His fear had escalated to an extremely dangerous level that his body's nervous system automatically shut down, thus leaving him immobile. The magenta-haired girl could only watch as Axew was engulfed by the blizzard.

Once the blizzard died down, Kasumi grew wide-eyed as she gazed at Axew. The Tusk Pokemon was encompassed in a block of ice.

Seishirou pushed his glasses up his nose and ordered, "Shard, end it with Shadow Ball."

The Fresh Snow Pokemon took a deep breath before channeling her icy aura to her mouth and mixing it with her darkest thoughts. As a result, a purplish-blue orb of evil energy was generated in front of her mouth.

"Axew's gonna need a miracle to survive this predicament!" the emcee stated the obvious.

Kasumi yelled out, "Axew, don't give up! I know that you are stronger than this! Break out of your ice prison and show everyone what you're capable of!"

Seishirou mumbled, "I can't believe that that cliche speech still exists." He then commanded, "End it, Shard."

The Glaceon reared her head back before firing the Shadow Ball at her frozen opponent.

"Axew!" Kasumi screamed at the top of her lungs.

Suddenly, the block of ice containing Axew began to glow brightly. The block of ice then shattered into shards that flew in all directions. One of the bigger ice shards came into contact with the Shadow Ball which resulted in an explosion. The glowing figure started to grow bigger. Its body started filling out, its tusks became longer and all of its limbs became thicker. Then, the glow stopped. Axew was no longer Axew. He had evolved into Fraxure.

"Axew has evolved into Fraxure, ladies and gentlemen!" the emcee bellowed as the stadium was filled with rapturous applause. "Axew felt Kasumi's belief and evolved as to not disappoint her. Such an amazing bond between Trainer and Pokemon!"

The bespectacled Trainer standing in the green box inwardly groaned. "Good grief, even the emcee has started to spew out cliche speeches." Although his opponent's Pokemon had evolved, it still did not change his goal; victory. Seishirou instructed Shard, "Use Agility to encircle Fraxure and then attack him sporadically with Ice Fang."

Seishirou's Glaceon surged forward in an amazing burst of speed and encircled the Axe Jaw Pokemon. Like her Trainer ordered, she channelled her aura to her fangs in preparation to execute Ice Fang. Without breaking away from her circular direction of motion, Shard opened her mouth, releasing two light blue beams of energy from her fangs which struck Fraxure's back, eliciting a grunt of pain from the Axe Jaw Pokemon. She repeated this tactic several times, hitting Fraxure's arms, legs, head, face and body.

"Fraxure is being dealt critical damage after critical damage!" the emcee blared. "What will Kasumi do to negate this highly effective tactic?"

Kasumi went through Fraxure's list of attacks in her mind before nodding to herself. "Fraxure, use Dragon Rage!"

The Axe Jaw Pokemon swiftly conjured up a blue orb of draconic energy and was about to fire until some dust entered his nostrils. He suddenly sneezed and ended up making the ball of energy explode in all directions, engulfing himself and his opponent in an explosion.

The smoke from the resulting explosion was cleared away by the wind that suddenly blew into the stadium. Fraxure immediately noticed that he was in a crater. He looked left and right before fixing his sights forward. His opponent, Shard, entered his sights. Her face was completely black and she was coughing out smoke. Suddenly, her body sagged to side and the Glaceon collapsed to the ground.

"Glaceon is unable to battle!" the official announced as he raised his red flag. Shard's icon on the screen disappeared, leaving only one empty slot below Seishirou's image.

"Unbelievable!" the emcee bellowed. "Against all odds, Fraxure managed to defeat Glaceon with a type disadvantage! The Axe Jaw Pokemon has defeated two of Seishirou's Pokemon in a row. Kasumi has virtually one foot into the round of 64! Can Fraxure complete a clean sweep by defeating Seishirou's final Pokemon?"

The audience cheered wildly for Fraxure. They never would have thought that the Axew, who has evolved, could turn the tide in Kasumi's favour.

Kasumi sheepishly scratched her head. "My..., that was lucky," she laughingly admitted.

Fraxure too had a sheepish expression plastered on his face. He knew that his victory over Shard was due to luck but it was a victory nonetheless.

After Seishirou recalled Shard back, he stared off into space for awhile. He then deadpanned, "That was unexpected."

_"Dragon Rage?" _Ryujin uttered speculatively. _"Seems more like a 'Dragon Sneeze'."_

"Nice one," Seishirou chuckled. "Before we go off-topic, let's focus back on this match. That Fraxure is high on confidence after his evolution. Seems like I made the right choice in picking you. I think that Fraxure deserves a lesson on evolution." The bespectacled teen then glanced at Ryujin from the corner of his eye. "Don't you think so too, Ryujin?"

Ryujin switched his attention from Seishirou to the battlefield which had been replaced with a new one. The Lizard Pokemon then closed his eyes and placed his left paw over the green ribbon around his right arm. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The Shiny Charmander slowly lifted his eyelids, all the emotion gone from his, Terence's, turquoise-coloured eyes.

_"Yes, Syuusuke-san," _Ryujin agreed as he walked into the battle.

"Ah, so Seishirou's third Pokemon is his Shiny Charmander!" the emcee stated as Ryujin's icon appeared in the last empty slot below Seishirou's image. "I've got to admit, those bandages make him look super cool! What do you think, folks?"

The crowd chanted, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Ryujin and Seishirou rolled their eyes in unison.

"Fraxure, let's win this!" Kasumi exclaimed. "Close the distance and use Dual Chop!"

The Axe Jaw Pokemon stretched out his arms and transfered his aura to them, making them glow white. He then dashed towards Ryujin who did not look the least bit interested in wanting to dodge the oncoming Dual Chop. Fraxure, upon reaching Ryujin, raised his arms and swung them downwards.

Though Ryujin was not interested in dodging the attack, it did not mean that he would the attack to hit him. The Shiny Charmander calmly raised his left arm up so that it was parallel to his shoulders. Fraxure's arms came into contact with Ryujin's arm and their forward momentum was immediately stopped.

The emcee grew wide-eyed as he stammered, "Charmander j-just blocked Fraxure's D-Dual Chop w-with just one arm!" He was not the only one as the crowd gasped in both shock and awe.

"Ryujin..., Slash," Seishirou ordered ominously.

One moment, Ryujin and Fraxure were standing still. A moment later, Fraxure was falling backwards with blood erupting from three deep incised wounds running down from his right shoulder to his left leg.

For Fraxure, time seemed to have slowed down as he gazed at Ryujin in shock. In the slow motion world, the Axe Jaw Pokemon heard Ryujin speak to him.

_"Evolution means nothing_," the Shiny Charmander began_. "You do not gain any strength from it. By evolving, you only increase the public's expectations of you. They expect you to win every match you compete in. It is a shame that you have evolved for you shall forever live with the shame that you have been beaten by a mere Charmander." _He then stated, _"Kieuseru**(1)**."_

Time returned to normal and Fraxure feel down on his back, blood flowing down his body and forming puddles on the battlefield.

"Fraxure, no!" Kasumi yelled out in shock.

Though the referee was feeling rather sick at the sight of blood, he managed to maintain a professional air as he raised the green flag and declared, "Fraxure is unable to battle!"

"...With just one attack, Charmander has drawn the match level," the emcee monotoned as the light around Fraxure's icon died down. The crowd were too stunned to even cheer.

Ryujin watched as Fraxure was taken away on a stretcher by two Nurse Joys. The Lizard Pokemon noticed that there was a blot of blood near his lower lip. He immediately licked the blood off and sighed with contentment. _"Such a sweet taste," _he remarked. _"Such a pure-hearted one, that Fraxure."_

Kasumi clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. She glared hard at both Seishirou and Ryujin. The magenta-haired girl slowly reached for her remaining Poke Ball on her belt and grasped it. She immediately tossed the Poke Ball into the air with all her might.

"Unleash your power, Dragonair!" she roared. The Poke Ball snapped open and released the Dragon Pokemon.

"So, it's gonna be Dragonair versus Charmander for the last battle of this match!" the emcee commented.

Kasumi took the initiative. "Dragonair, use ExtremeSpeed!" she shouted.

The Dragon-type Pokemon coiled its body and bolted towards Ryujin at a blinding speed with its body being surrounded by a clear and white aura.

"Looks like Kasumi is looking to best Seishirou with speed!" the emcee observed.

Seishirou swept a hand through his hair before he ordered, "Sidestep the attack and use Slash."

The Shiny Charmander calmly quickened his heartbeat to about 400 beats per minute. This caused a lot of adrenalin to be pumped into his bloodstream which considerably heightened his reaction time. It was as if time had slowed down and he was the one in control. Speaking of control, he took full advantage of it as he casually sidestepped to the right and avoided Dragonair which was travelling, in his eyes, in super slow motion. Ryujin promptly elongated the claws on his right paw and raked Dragonair's body, leaving behind a long but shallow incised wound. Feeling somewhat satisfied with the cut on Dragonair's body, Ryujin slowed down his heartbeat back to the normal range and time returned to normal.

Though Ryujin was moving at a casual pace, in Dragonair eyes, it saw Ryujin vanish into thin air. The Dragon-type Pokemon grew perplexed at the thought that its opponent was faster than it but was given no time to ponder about it as the Dragon Pokemon felt some pain on the left side of its serpentine-like body. The pain suddenly intensified which caused Dragonair to crash onto the ground.

"Stay strong, Dragonair!" Kasumi encouraged.

Dragonair slowly got up from its crumpled heap and inspected its body. The Dragon-type immediately noticed the gash on its body, most probably left behind by its opponent. A little blood was trickling out of the wound.

"It would seem that Ryujin's Slash has once again drawn blood!" the emcee observed.

Seishirou sadistically instructed, "Use Flamethrower on the wound."

Ryujin took in a huge intake of breath, mixed it with his aura and exhaled a stream of fire towards the wound on Dragonair's body. The stream of flames found its mark as it badly singed the gash on the Dragon-type Pokemon's body, causing it to writhe in pain.

"Seishirou is not intent on letting up his assault, folks!" the emcee bellowed.

"Dragonair, don't let that Charmander push you around like that!" Kasumi yelled out. "Counter with Aqua Tail!"

The Dragon managed to compose itself and stuck out its tail whilst conjuring up water, spiralling the element around the tail in the process. Dragonair then swung the tail at Ryujin as if were a vicious wave. The Aqua Tail struck Ryujin's gut and sent the Lizard Pokemon sliding backwards.

The Shiny Charmander almost immediately came to halt at the centre of the battlefield. His face betrayed no emotion as he gazed blankly at Dragonair with his cocked a little to the side. He then lifted a claw and wiped the small stream of blood from the corner of his mouth clean off.

The emcee narrated, "Dragonair counters with a super effective Aqua Tail!" He added, "Though, Charmander does not look the least bit injured from that Water-based attack. Perhaps this Charmander knows how to mask his pain well."

Kasumi swiftly ordered, "Use DragonBreath!"

Dragonair complied with its Trainer's command by spewing out a light blue beam of air from its mouth towards Ryujin.

"Flame Burst," Seishirou countered.

Ryujin, with the reaction time of a sharpshooter, shot a bullet of flame to counter the light blue beam of air.

Since the Flame Burst had a solid mass, it broke through the DragonBreath, which was very light in contrast, upon contact. The bullet of fire then exploded when it hit Dragonair's head. A cry of agony escaped through Dragonair's lips.

"Hold on, Dragonair," Kasumi called out. "Push that Charmander back with Blizzard!"

The Dragon Pokemon reared its head back before it released a huge blast of frozen air from its mouth at its opponent.

The Shiny Charmander was blasted backwards when the powerful Ice-type move struck his body. Fortunately for him, his body temperature was higher than a normal Pokemon's so he was prevented from being frozen in a block of ice. The only thing that Ryujin received from that attack was a bad case of pins and needles.

"That Blizzard had almost no effect on Charmander!" the emcee exclaimed.

Seishirou smiled to himself. "Right according to plan," he whispered. "Ryujin, use Purgatory."

The flame on Ryujin's tail suddenly burned brighter and more vigourously as his body was surrounded in a bright, fiery aura. He then channelled all that gathered energy to his mouth before unleashing an extremely violent and powerful maelstorm of flames upon Dragonair. The extremely wide range of this attack combined with the fact that Dragonair was injured meant that the Dragon Pokemon stood no chance. The Dragon-type Pokemon was completely engulfed in the maelstorm of fire which crackled and spiralled on Seishirou's side of the battlefield.

The monstrous maelstorm kept on spiralling for a full minute before it finally died down. Dragonair was in a sad state. In addition to the gash on the left side of its body worsening, there were scalds everywhere. If that was not bad enough, Dragonair's body suddenly burst up into the flames before those flares also died down. It has been afflicted with one of the five major status ailments; Burn.

Kasumi gazed at Dragonair with a grave look in her eyes. She knew that the Dragon Pokemon had enough energy for one more move. If executed correctly, the move could win her the match. If executed wrongly, her position in the match would stay the same. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Use Hyper Beam, Dragonair!" she yelled out.

Dragonair knew that its was close to breaking but it did not care. Fighting the pain, the Dragon Pokemon tiredly opened her mouth and began to charge up a Hyper Beam.

For the first time in the match, Seishirou grew frantic. "Ryujin, stop Dragonair from firing that Hyper Beam!" he ordered.

Ryujin nodded and dashed towards Dragonair. He noticed that the Hyper Beam was near completion so he increased the rate of his heartbeat. Time slowed down and his speed was increased significantly. Ryujin lowered his centre of gravity to gain more speed and to reduce air resistance. The Lizard Pokemon, with five feet separating him and Dragonair, jumped up into the air and delivered a final Slash attack. As he landed on the ground, he lowered his heartbeat and like before, time returned to normal.

The orb of destructive energy in Dragonair's mouth promptly disappeared as the Dragon Pokemon fainted.

"Dragonair is unable to battle! The match goes to Seishirou 'Zephyr' Syuusuke from Castelia City!" the referee declared as he raised the green flag as Dragonair's icon on the screen blinked out.

Though the stadium was filled with rapturous applause, Ryujin either did not or pretended to not hear them. He looked at his second Trainer who faintly smiled at him. He then shifted his gaze to the darkening sky.

_"Did I do good, Terence?" _Ryujin directed his question to the heavens. He did not receive a reply. Sighing sadly, the Charmander turned around and walked back to Seishirou.

* * *

**(1) - Disappear**

**Wow. That's all I can say.**

**Rick Dragon belongs to Thomas3Garchomp.**

**Annalyn 'May' Moonwell and Michael 'Silver' Moonwell belongs to OnewingedAngel118.**

**Chris Moore belongs to The Fan Fiction Writer.**

**Kasumi Ryu belongs to dragonheart234.**

**The next chapter will also be a battle chapter though I doubt it'll be as long as this chapter. :) **

**AFTER THAT, FILLERS!**

**Read and of course, REVIEW! XD**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	8. Chapter VII : Strong Contenders

**Right. I guess I should stop making promises on the length of the chapters. Surprisingly, this one proved to be longer than the previous chapter. I hope the length compensates for the lack of updates. I actually wanted to update this story last week but I had to go to my new university for Orientation Week.  
**

**There are two battles in this chapter. One is a battle between OCs while the other one is a repeat of a 4rd round battle that happened in the Indigo Plateau Conference.**

**The rest of the chapters have been fully updated with the English terms.  
**

**Oh, and Shinichi will be referred to as 'Seito' from now on. The latter sounds better than the former in my opinion.**

**The fillers start after this chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Night had descended upon Caelum City. After an exciting first day, everyone from the competitors to the spectators had decided to hit the hay. The competitors were exhausted from competing while the spectators were exhausted from cheering. The competitors' Pokemon also failed to escape fatigue as they rested in their dual-coloured capsules. Most would have preferred nice and cozy beds but the Poke Balls were sufficient enough. The Pokemon practically spend the majority of their time in those capsules so it was not that surprising that some Pokemon got attached to those inanimate objects. Of course, there were Trainers who cared for their friends' comfort as they would fulfill their friends' wishes by allowing them a share of the beds. If the Pokemon were smaller than their Trainers, they were even luckier as they could use their Trainers as beds, the heartbeat of their owners lulling them into a deep sleep.

Niveus was one of the lucky ones as he got to sleep on Ash's chest. However, not even the rhythmic beating of his Pokemon Trainer's heart could send the brown-eyed Pikachu to the realm of dreams. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind was immediately assaulted by a myriad of images. Some of those images were blurry while others were extremely vivid. Even though the memories flashing before his eyes were completely foreign to him, a part of Niveus was convinced that those memories were in fact his. Confusion drifted across the Mouse Pokemon's features as he tried to comprehend the bizarre feelings he experienced ever since he set foot in Caelum City.

The Pikachu slowly stood up before jumping off Ash's chest and landing squarely on the floor. He dusted himself off before glancing at Ash over his left shoulder. Niveus smiled when he saw the peaceful expression on Ash's face as the black-haired boy inhaled and exhaled slowly. He then made his way over to the window and gazed out it. The sky was akin to a black blanket beautified with many sparkling pearls.

_"I suppose a little walk would do me some good," _Niveus decided. He turned around to walk to the door but suddenly stopped. The Pikachu felt a sudden surge of power in his body. His gaze gradually drifted back to the window. A second later, he found himself standing on the window sill. Without its owner's permission, his brain sent motor impulses to Niveus's paws which allowed him to open the window. A gentle breeze entered the room and swayed the fur on his face.

He poked his head out the window and looked down. He saw the clearing where he trained in earlier in the day_. "All the trees are on the other side of the clearing," _he observed._ "There aren't any beams or branches that I can grab onto when I jump." _The muscles in his body suddenly contracted with excitement. Niveus frowned in confusion. _"Why am I feeling excited about this?" _he wondered. _"Shouldn't I be scared? I understand if I'm on the second floor but I'm on the fortieth floor. Have I gone completely mental?"_

The Mouse Pokemon looked down again and tried to convince himself to back out of this insane stunt. He was unsuccessful. Niveus expelled a heavy sigh from his body.

_"Might as well get this over with," _he conceded. He stepped forward to the outer half of the window sill before shutting the window. Without hesitation, he jumped in manner as if he was diving into a lake from a high vantage point.

Niveus thought that he would be screaming like a banshee but he felt strangely calm. The wind was not blowing at him forcefully. Instead, it was caressing his entire body as if it had been finally reunited with a long-lost friend. Niveus closed his eyes and welcomed the feeling of peace coursing through his veins.

When he lifted his eyelids, Niveus calculated that he was about two hundred metres from the ground. He reached deep within the confines of his mind and discovered a new memory. Instinctively, he tucked his knees against his chest and began spinning like a circular saw. One hundred and fifty metres later, he uncurled himself but kept his legs bent to lessen the impulsive force when he landed on the ground. Just as his feet was about to come into contact with solid ground, his body suddenly froze but he could still move his limbs. It was as if he was floating in mid-air. Almost instantly, the invisible threads binding him loosened and Niveus landed gently on the ground.

The brown-eyed Pikachu was astonished that he had managed to pull off that stunt and stared at his paws. He remarked, _"Wow, that was bloody amazing!"_

Niveus looked down at his body and noticed that he was shaking, most probably due to a sense of giddiness and accomplishment. He chuckled when he thought of how Ash would react if the human saw his little stunt. Ash would probably throw a hissy fit and handcuff them together as insurance.

_"Wait, I shouldn't be treating this as a joke," _he mentally scolded himself. _"Ash would get worried and he'll lose his focus." _He thought about it some more. _"On the other hand, when he focuses too much on a single matter, everything else ends up taking a back seat. Hehehehe. He doesn't even pay that much attention to his surroundings when his mind is set on something. That means I'm free to do more of these crazy stunts."_

Putting his hands behind his head, Niveus walked towards the middle of the clearing. He then looked up at the starry sky. _"Wow, those stars are really beautiful," _he breathed in awe. _"Who would've thought that I get to see this view in a metropolis?"_

The peaceful moment did not last forever as Niveus ears suddenly perked up. He shifted his gaze from the stars to the forest in the east. His ears had picked up a sound. It was barely audible but he heard it nonetheless. Normally, he could care less about the noises he heard during the night but this one, for some strange reason, piqued his curiosity. Without a second thought, Niveus dropped down on all fours and broke into an all-out sprint towards the direction where the sound originated from.

* * *

Niveus had lost track of time as his mind was focused on finding the progenitor of the strange sound. He could have been running for minutes or even hours but he did not care. He only cared about discovering the source of the unusual sound and returning back to the hotel once his curiosity had been satisfied. The Pikachu skidded to a halt, not only to catch his breath but also to observe his surroundings. Niveus noticed that he was not in the city anymore. Instead, he was in a forest.

_"Woah," _he mouthed. _"How did I end up in the outskirts of Caelum City?" _He folded his arms across his chest and put on his thinking cap. _"Guess some of Ash's habits must've rubbed off on me," _he deduced. _"__Now I feel guilty for all those things I said about him earlier."_

***SNAP***

Niveus immediately snapped his head to the right. He saw two _Sakura _trees with some healthy green foliage scattered on the forest floor between them. Above the foliage was nothing but darkness. It was like staring into a gateway. A gateway to the dark realm. Apprehension began to take root within Niveus's heart.

_"I really should not venture into the unknown," _he said logically. Unfortunately for Niveus, his logical mind became infected with the 'illogic' bacteria. _"On the other hand, just because it looks ugly on the outside, doesn't mean it's ugly on the inside as well, right?" _he asked himself. _"There is bound to be something beautiful on the other side, I'm sure of it." _To be frank, even Niveus was surprised with his positive outlook.

He took a couple of steps back, his eyes never leaving the dark 'portal' even for a second. With a shaky breath, he sprinted forward and jumped into the portal..., only to receive a mouthful of grass as he slammed onto the ground and skidded about two feet forwards. Groaning slightly, he pushed himself up to his knees and coughed out all the dirt and grass in his mouth. He then stood up to scan his surroundings.

The Pikachu noticed that he was standing on a cliff. It reminded him of the time where he and his friends saved Zorua who was being cornered by a tribe of Vigoroth on a cliff near Crown City. He walked closer to the edge of the cliff and gasped. The cliff that he was standing directly overlooked Caelum City. The 'concrete' part of the city was illuminated with bright neon lights of different colours while the 'nature' part of the city remained untouched. It was like he was looking at a painting where two contrasting elements were mixed together to form a sublime masterpiece.

_"Great view," _Niveus remarked. _"This would be the perfect spot for me and Cloud to spend the evening together."_

Niveus was completely awestruck by the view that the Pikachu did not notice a certain enigmatic teen creep up behind him.

"It would seem that my secret spot may not be so secret anymore," the teen whispered in Niveus's ear.

The brown-eyed Pikachu was immediately jolted from his reverie as he turned around to face the owner of the strangely familiar voice with his cheeks sparking with electricity. Those sparks effectively died down when Niveus realized that it was only Seishirou. Confusion once again descended upon his features. He cannot comprehend why he was suddenly so comfortable in Seishirou's presence. The human was practically a stranger to the Pikachu.

Seishirou asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Niveus found himself automatically nodding to Seishirou's question as if his body yearned for the human's company.

The sapphire-eyed teen smiled faintly at Niveus and sat down cross-legged beside the Pikachu. "There is no need for you to act mum," Seishirou assured Niveus. "Did you honestly think that your Trainer is the only one who could understand Pokemon?"

The Mouse Pokemon avoided eye contact with Seishirou and scratched the ground with one foot. _"Kinda," _he replied meekly.

"So naive," Seishirou claimed. "You have not changed one bit."

_"Huh?"_ Niveus uttered in confusion.

Seishirou shook his head. "Nothing," he said laconically. The black-haired boy then pulled out a large lollipop which had a swirling pattern on it and held it out to Niveus. He offered, "Lollipop?"

Niveus wordlessly accepted the candy from Seishirou and began licking it.

"How goes your training with Ash?" Seishirou queried Niveus as he watched the Pikachu enjoy the treat.

_"Pretty good,"_ Niveus said in between licks. The Pikachu suddenly stopped licking the lollipop and lowered the treat, allowing Seishirou full view of the look of confusion etched across his face. _"But...," _he trailed off.

"Continue," Seishirou urged Niveus.

_"It's... strange," _the Pikachu said softly. He explained, _"I felt as though I've suddenly become stronger. I know it's relatively normal to experience that feeling if you constantly train but in my case, I'm all... weirded out. A month ago, my Electro Ball, at its strongest, could only create a scorch mark on the ground. Now, it's capable of creating mid-sized craters and ram through five pillars of stone without even losing a fraction of its strength."_

Seishirou argued, "However, it is not impossible for your Electro Ball to attain that kind of strength. Like you said, it's relatively normal for attacks to become stronger if you constantly keep up with your training."

A frown drifted across Niveus's face. _"That is what's bugging me," _he fretted. _"I haven't been doing an ounce of training this past month..., mainly because Ash was just too tired from all the Team Plasma drama. I only started training yesterday."_

"Team Plasma, huh?" Seishirou wondered aloud. "The organization which aims to separate Pokemon from humans and create a 'black-and-white' world."

_"Aimed," _Niveus corrected Seishirou. _"It was just a facade. The father of the leader, Ghetsis, manipulated the innocence of his only son so that at the end of the day, only he would have Pokemon and rule the Unova region."_

Seishirou gave Niveus an amused look. "Why do I get the feeling that this happens every time you visit a new region?"

_"Well...," _Niveus began as he sheepishly scratched his head, _"let's just say that me and Ash are trouble-attracting beacons."_

"It is understandable," Seishirou said dryly. "After all, Ash is the Chosen One."

Suspicion began to take root in Niveus's mind. _"How did you know that?"_

The nineteen-year-old human smirked at the Pikachu. "I have my ways," he answered vaguely. "In any case, I think there is little need for you to worry about your sudden increase in strength."

_"Why?" _Niveus asked earnestly.

Seishirou explained, "The main reason the power of attacks of Electric-type Pokemon suddenly increase is almost always due to electric overload. Since you shall have a lot of excess energy stored up in your body, your attacks will gain an added boost in power at the cost of control." He then asked, "Can you control all of your Electric-based attacks?"

_"Yes," _Niveus responded.

"Then you have nothing to fear," Seishirou stated. "If you are still confused about it, just think that Arceus has chosen to bless you in order to aid the Chosen One in his upcoming challenges."

_"...I guess," _the Mouse Pokemon agreed sceptically.

The sapphire-eyed Pokemon Trainer smiled faintly at Niveus. He then cast his gaze towards the mountains and noticed that the rays of the Sun were slowly creeping out. His gaze drifted back to his yellow-furred friend.

"You best be on your way," Seishirou advised him. "The Sun is awakening from its slumber. You wouldn't want to worry your Trainer, would you?"

Niveus threw a curious glance over his shoulder and caught sight of the emerging rays of sunlight. _"Will... I see you again?" _he asked longingly. _"Er..., I mean..., if you have the time... and if it's not too much trouble, can you meet up with Ash? He really wants to apologize to you for his bad behaviour during his visit to your residence."_

Seishirou raised an eyebrow at Niveus's question. He shrugged, "I suppose I can put it in my to-do list."

The Pikachu's eyes lit up with joy. _"Thanks, Seishirou."_

"Think nothing of it," Seishirou waved off Niveus's gratefulness to him as he reached out and ruffled the fur on the Pikachu's head.

The moment Seishirou's hand came into contact with his head, Niveus's mind was immediately assaulted by a multitude of strange yet somehow familiar echoes.

* * *

_"L-, use Volt Tackle!"_

_"Love is a noose. Nothing good can come out of it."_

_"You were extremely foolish, L-. Did you really not expect this to happen?"_

_"I'm sorry. I... couldn't protect you. I... failed you."_

_"Ugh..., my... heart. It's... sha-"_

* * *

Niveus eyes snapped open as he regained control of his mind. He noticed right away that Seishirou was gone. His eyes darted left and right but he failed to spot the mysterious teen. Sadness squeezed his heart but only for a brief moment.

_"I better get going," _he sighed. He moved closer to the edge of the cliff so that he may burn the spectacular view into his eyes. Niveus found his gaze travelling downwards until he spotted something that did not fit into the scenery at all. He saw a haystack at the bottom of the cliff.

The Pikachu sweatdropped. _"That certainly is convenient," _he remarked.

Like he did back at the hotel, Niveus spread out his arms as if he was being crucified. He took a deep breath before executing an eagle's dive down the cliff and landed in the haystack on his back.

On the higher ground, Seishirou emerged from behind one of the _Sakura _trees and glanced at the spot where Niveus once stood. "It is nice to see that you are doing well," he said, referring to Niveus. "As for your sudden increase in strength, you'll find out the true reason soon enough. I've suppressed those hidden feelings of sadness and confusion for the time being. However, there shall come a time when those feelings surface again and trust me, the strain that will be inflicted upon you shall be magnified by a factor of ten." He added, "By then, only a certain... being of darkness can help you overcome them once and for all. Until then..., try your best to bear with them."

With that said, Seishirou disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"Master Silverline, it is time for you to wake up," a grey-haired man informed the sleeping nineteen-year-old.

Eclipse was undisturbed by the voice which was trying to rouse him from his slumber as he shifted his body so that he was sleeping on his side.

The black-garbed man pursed his lips in slight irritation as he strode over to the side of the bed. He placed a hand on his young master's shoulder and gently shook him. He told Eclipse, "You wouldn't want to be late for your match, would you?"

In another act of defiance, Eclipse lightly slapped his butler's hand away and mumbled, "Five more minutes, Alfred."

"Denied," Alfred waved off his plea. The wise old man calmly walked over to the window and, in a fluid motion, pulled open the curtains which allowed the sunlight to brighten up the gloomy atmosphere of the room.

The light struck Eclipse's eyelids, causing them to flutter open and reveal striking emerald orbs. With a tired groan, he lifted himself up to a sitting position and groggily rubbed his eyes. As his vision refocused, he caught sight of an elderly man, who was wearing a black suit with white gloves, tying the curtains back.

"You sure are heartless, Alfred," the silver-haired boy said tonelessly.

The butler simply sent an amused glance at Eclipse before pouring some tea into an expensive-looking teacup. Alfred then added a couple of sugar cubes into the tea before putting the cup on a saucer and handing them over to his young master.

Alfred explained, "Today's tea is being served using Wedgwood Pashmina China."

The emerald-eyed teen nodded absentmindedly before taking a sip of the tea. "This taste seems familiar," he stated. "Is this Jasmine tea?"

"As usual, your sense of taste is truly impeccable, Master Silverline," Alfred extolled.

Eclipse scowled faintly at his butler. "There is a fine line between a compliment and an insult, Alfred," he said. "When you constantly heap praise upon me, it gets annoying to the point that I'm thinking that you are actually patronizing me."

"You are most welcome, sir," Alfred chuckled, earning a halfhearted glare from his young master. The grey-haired man then told Eclipse, "A grilled chicken breast with fruit salad has been prepared for your breakfast. Toast, scones and hash browns have prepared as an accompaniment. Which would best suit your taste today?"

"...Hash browns," Eclipse yawned.

Alfred placed a hand over heart and bowed slightly. "I shall await your arrival at the dining table," he said. The butler then motioned to a set of neatly folded clothes on one of the sofas in the room. "I have taken the liberty of picking out your casual attire. I sincerely hope that you are fine with that."

Eclipse replied, "It's fine." Still feeling rather parched, he took another sip of his tea.

"Many thanks, Master Silverline," the butler said. Without uttering a single syllable, Alfred walked over to the door and exited the room, thus leaving Eclipse as the sole occupant of said room.

The emerald-eyed teen gazed blankly around his bedroom before setting his sights upon his reflection in his tea. "Guess it's my turn to make an impact, right Seishirou?"

After finishing his tea, Eclipse got up from the bed, tidied it up and proceeded to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Eclipse stood in front of a large mirror, completely dressed in the clothes that Alfred had picked out for him. He scrutinized his reflection from head to toe. He saw a teen wearing a black leather jacket with rolled sleeves over a white shirt with black pants and white fur along the collar and the top of his pants. He also donned on a pair of black gloves and black leather shoes. His accessories also included a string of beads that was wrapped around his left forearm and a small sash that partially covered his right leg.

A small smile found its way across Eclipse's features. He remarked, "For an old man, Alfred sure has good taste in fashion. Perhaps I should ask him to pick out my outfits more often."

With a casual flip of his hair, Eclipse exited his bedroom and began his brief walk towards the dining room.

* * *

Eclipse poked the last piece of his chicken breast with a fork and inserted the meat into his mouth. He chewed it at a slow pace, displaying proper table manners despite the fact there not being a single dignified person in the massive dining room..., save for his butler. He shuddered when he thought of all those agonizing hours he had to go through just to perfect his facade as a gentleman. The emerald-eyed teen actually disliked having to act all dignified and gentlemanly but he did not have that much in choice in the matter given that Alfred was the personal tutor. The elderly man was a perfectionist and would always chastise him for every simple mistake he made. After only a few months, Eclipse had completely grasped the whole concept which allowed Alfred to shed the disciplinarian side of his character much to Eclipse's relief. The silver-haired Pokemon Trainer washed the white meat down with some Earl Grey tea before he retrieved his napkin and wiped his mouth.

"Please remind me my schedule for today, Alfred," Eclipse ordered as he adjusted the position of the knife and fork on the plate so that they were parallel to each other.

Alfred complied with his young master's order. He answered, "Other than the light training training session you shall have with your Pokemon after breakfast and your match that is scheduled to begin at nine o'clock sharp, there is nothing of major importance."

"I see," Eclipse said tersely. He leaned back into his chair and began to think about the ways he can make full use of his free time after winning his match. He was confident that he can get his two victories and advance into the round of 64. The nineteen-year-old presumed that Seishirou sent him a challenge by winning his two matches in emphatic fashion. Given Eclipse's character, he could do nothing but accept the challenge.

As if he was reading his young master's thoughts, Alfred suggested, "I think that it is probably best that you use the time gifted to you by preparing your speech for the launching of the Caelum City branch of Starlite Articuno."

Eclipse's left eye twitched at the mention of the word 'speech'. "Remind the reason as to why I have to give a speech," he suspired with annoyance. "Why can't Mr. Damian do it?"

"Mr. Damian is currently on honeymoon with his wife, Mrs. Daniels," Alfred reminded him. "As co-owner of this esteemed brand, it is your duty to fill in for Mr. Damian when he's unavailable to not only manage the many branches of Starlite Articuno but also attend the openings of new branches."

"Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from shattering that window," Eclipse grumbled. "If I accomplish that, I would be free of all that bothersome paperwork that keeps piling up on my desk."

"Unless you can capture Dialga which I recalled that you failed to accomplish in thirty attempts, you shall not be tampering with the past anytime soon," Alfred chuckled mockingly.

Eclipse scowled at his butler. "Since you have the energy to insult your employer," he stated with a hint of venom in his tone, "would you be so kind as to fetch me a blank card and an envelope?"

"If I can't even do that, then I am not fit to be your butler," Alfred soliloquized.

Alfred's employer threatened, "You are not fit to be my butler if you insist on procrastinating the completion of my simple requests."

The grey-haired man was unperturbed by his young master's threat as he deftly reached into the left breast pocket of his dinner jacket and produced the aforementioned items that Eclipse requested.

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "What, no pen?"

With a smug grin, Alfred stretched out his other hand towards Eclipse and snapped his fingers. On cue, a blue ballpoint pen appeared out of thin air.

Failing to think of a suitable retort, Eclipse snatched the pen from his butler's hand and proceeded to write on the card.

"If I may ask, sir, what is it that you are writing?" Alfred inquired.

"An invitation" was Eclipse's immediate reply.

"To a Mr. Trodaire, perhaps?" Alfred guessed.

Eclipse responded, "No. Our relationship is strictly professional, nothing more, nothing less. This invitation is for an... 'acquaintance' of sorts."

"Hmm..., it is rather rare that you would consider anyone an acquaintance especially after going through such unfortunate heartbreak," Alfred said.

"I've known him even before that incident," Eclipse uttered bluntly. "However, we have not been in contact for about nine years. You cannot blame me for trying to reacquaint myself with him."

Alfred thought aloud, "You must hold him in high regard as I'm sure he reciprocates the feeling."

"Who knows?" Eclipse shrugged as he inserted the card into the envelope before tucking said envelope into a pocket in his jacket. "He is full of idiosyncrasies. Up until this day, I still can't comprehend his thought process." He took a deep breath before he stood up from his chair. "Have you fed my Pokemon, Alfred?"

"Yes, Master Silverline," Alfred answered. "All of them are eagerly awaiting for your arrival on the training grounds behind this mansion."

Eclipse nodded at his butler in appreciation before exiting the room, leaving Alfred to clean up the dining table.

* * *

Max knocked the door of Ash's room and mildly shouted, "Ash, wake up! Your match is gonna start soon!"

The bespectacled boy waited for Ash's colourful language to stimulate his sense of hearing but the atmosphere remained unusually calm. Max pressed an ear against the door, hoping to detect the faintest of sound from inside the room. He heard none. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"That's strange," Max thought. "Ash is prone to oversleeping, especially on the eve of his matches. Judging from what Dawn said of her experience while travelling with Ash, this habit surfaced during the Lily of the Valley Conference." Feeling rather curious, Max twisted the doorknob and was surprised when the door opened slightly. The teal-haired boy then removed his hand from the doorknob, placed it against oak-carved door and pushed the door open.

Max half-expected to have a messy room occupy his line of sight but was left gaping slightly when his prediction failed to materialized. Instead of a disorganized room, the bespectacled boy saw a neat and clean room. The curtains were expertly tied up at the side of the windows, offering no resistance as the sunlight spread throughout the room. There were no creases on the bed and the sheet was neatly folded up. The items on the dresser from a comb to a spray-on deodorant were aligned side by side in organized fashion. Max scratched his head in confusion.

"Am I in the right room?" Max wondered. "Wait, of course I am. I specifically remembered that Ash's room was located opposite my room. Still, the tidy nature of this room does not support this fact. Maybe he switched rooms when I went to bed?"

Max's focus was completely transfixed on his thoughts that he did not notice Cilan entering the room.

"Why are you staring blankly into space, Max?" Cilan asked.

The shorter of the two teens threw a glance over his shoulder. Max had learned to discern the pitch of his friends' voices so the possibility of sneaking up behind him and scaring him with a gentle whisper was extremely low, provided that the person sneaking up on him was unable to change the tone of his or her voice like a certain gentleman thief from his Case Closed manga.

"Oh, hey Cilan," Max greeted the Pokemon Connoisseur. He then asked, "Is this room absolutely and positively Ash's room?"

Cilan noted the disbelief in Max's tone as he answered, "Unless you were mysteriously transported to a parallel dimension, which is rather ludicrous thought and highly unlikely, then yes, you and I are currently standing in Ash's hotel room. Why are you suddenly sceptical of this legitimate fact?"

Max spread out his arms. "The reason is all around us," Max told Cilan. "Back when I was travelling with Ash, he wasn't big on cleanliness and tidiness. He usually leaves all the cleaning to Brock. Based on how Dawn described Ash's character in Sinnoh, he still could care less about neatness even though he had matured greatly." He then inquired, "Did he display this newfound attitude when he was in Unova, Cilan?"

The green-haired Pokemon Connoisseur held his chin with his thumb and index finger as he reminisced about his journey with Ash throughout the Unova region. "While he was in Unova," Cilan began, "he was a bit on the brash side and would more often than not charge headfirst into specific situations without proper planning. Iris kept calling him a 'child', much to his chagrin. However, after the events at N's castle, I've started to notice some changes in his personality. I guess that that specific experience was enough to make Ash move on from being a brash young teen to a mature young adult. Consider the state of this room a testament to Ash's newfound maturity."

"Woah there," Max motioned for Cilan to halt his explanation. "You kinda lost me. Who is this... 'N' person?"

"I do not have the right to tell you that," Cilan said. He added, "You should direct that question to Ash but don't get your hopes up. It is still a rather sore subject to him."

"I understand," Max accepted Cilan's reasoning. "Speaking of Ash, do you where he is?"

Cilan informed the younger boy, "He's currently training his Pokemon in the clearing behind the hotel."

Max's face scrunched up in confusion. He wondered why Ash would pass on using the state-of-the-art training facilities that were accessible to any Pokemon Trainer competing in the Zenith League and choose to go 'old school' with his training method in a manner of speaking.

As if Cilan was reading the teal-haired boy's thoughts, he stated, "Ash is only being logical, Max."

"What do you mean?" Max queried the Pokemon Connoisseur.

Cilan sighed in exasperation. "Let's view this from a different angle," he suggested. "If you were in Ash's shoes, would you train your Pokemon using the provided training facilities or the more traditional method?"

"I would definitely use the former method," Max answered without much thought. "Why wouldn't I? I could easily obtain accurate data concerning the strengths and weaknesses of all my Pokemon. From there, I can discern which area of their power, whether it be their offence or special attack, I need to focus on to make them become stronger in a short period of time. You don't really get that much time to train your Pokemon in between matches."

"You put forth a reasonable argument, Max," Cilan admitted. "However, you have to approach this matter through Ash's own eyes." He explained, "You have to remember that Ash started his journey about six years ago while you only have a year's experience under your belt, not counting the year you travelled with Ash in Hoenn and Kanto. Back then, Ash did not have the privilege to train his Pokemon with the help of technology. He had to depend on the traditional method to train his Pokemon. Though not as accurate as the method you prefer, he and his Pokemon grew up with that kind of training method. With the exception of his Unova Pokemon, it may come as too much of a shock to his other Pokemon if he decides to switch his training method at such short notice. As a result, his Pokemon shall not gain any benefit and precious time shall be forever lost."

Max closed his eyes and pondered about Cilan's words. On one hand, he disagreed with the green-haired Pokemon Connoisseur. Max knew that Ash can be very stubborn when the situation demanded it and would downright refuse to admit that he had travelled down the wrong path in terms of training methods. On the other hand, Max agreed with Cilan to some degree. Although Max considered Ash's training method to be 'old-fashioned', it was effective nonetheless. His semifinal showing at the Lily of the Valley Conference was a testament to this fact.

The bespectacled teen lifted his eyelids and smiled at Cilan. "Though I disagree with you in regards to Ash's reason for not following the current trend, I suppose I can give his ever-growing maturity a benefit of a doubt," he decided.

"I would be pleasantly surprised if you didn't," Cilan admitted. The Pokemon Connoisseur adjusted his bow tie before he stepped over to the dresser. He then pulled open a drawer and stuck a hand in it, pulling out a familiar card a second later. "The only reason I came up here was to retrieve Ash's Zenith League ID card for him," he told his younger companion as he balanced the card on his right ring index finger. "Whenever he gets overwhelmed with excitement, he can be quite the forgetful one."

Max chuckled, "Now that is a view that I fully share with you."

Cilan smiled at Max and motioned to the door. "Shall we?"

Max nodded. "Let's go."

Both of them promptly exited the room and made their way towards the clearing behind the hotel to watch Ash's training firsthand.

* * *

Max and Cilan's timing could not have been more perfect for if they reached their destination a minute later, they would have missed a jaw-dropping sight.

"Snivy, use Leaf Tornado to suck in those boulders and fire them at Niveus!" Ash commanded.

The Grass Snake Pokemon nodded at Ash's command as she jumped into the air and turned upside down. She then swished her tail which whipped up a large tornado of wind with circles of light green energy spinning around the tornado at the tip of the palmate leaf on the end of her tail. Snivy promptly swung on her side and scooped up three mid-sized boulders with the tornado. Narrowing her eyes at Niveus, she swung the tornado downwards as if she were drawing the arc of a semicircle in mid-air. The boulders were not only released from their 'prison' but were also launched straight at Niveus.

Ash ordered, "Niveus, destroy those boulders with Electro Ball!"

The Pikachu channelled his aura throughout his body, causing it to be surrounded by yellow electricity. Satisfied with the amount of electricity he managed to emanate, Niveus began to siphon all that electricity to the area above his tail. A ball of yellow electricity materialized a second later. Niveus lightly tapped the orb into the air with his tail before he jumped up and smacked it forcefully towards the boulders. As the Mouse Pokemon gazed at the Electro Ball which was slowly but surely about to come into contact with the first of the three boulders, he secretly hoped that the capabilities of his Electro Ball that were displayed during his previous training session were not flukes.

His hope was rewarded as the Electro Ball rammed through and destroyed all the three boulders. Amazingly, the orb of yellow electricity did not lose a fraction of its energy as it closed in on its next target, Snivy.

"Slash the Electro Ball with Leaf Blade!" Ash instructed.

Snivy deftly channelled her aura to the leaf on her tail, making it glow light green in the process. She then spun her body forwards and slashed the Electro Ball with her tail.

The Electro Ball froze in mid-air when Snivy slashed it with her tail. Speaking of Snivy, she landed gracefully on the ground before snapping her fingers. On cue, multiple 'swish' sounds reverberated throughout the training ground as Niveus's Electro Ball was sliced and diced out of existence.

"Awesome" was the word that pulsed in Max's mind as he witnessed the battle prowess of Ash's Snivy.

Ash once again tested Snivy's reaction time as he swiftly directed, "Vine Whip, Snivy!"

Her reaction time was once again proven to be top-notch as she instantly withdrew two vines and thrust them towards Niveus as if she were throwing javelins at the Mouse Pokemon.

Niveus's brain registered the situation and ordered his body to dodge. The Pikachu quickly angled his body sideways and avoided the two vines. Relief spread across his face but that relief was short-lived as the Pikachu caught sight of the grin on Ash's face.

"Snivy, sandwich Niveus's face with those vines," Ash commanded laughingly.

Snivy gave Niveus a devious smirk which made the Pikachu felt a sense of foreboding in his heart. The Grass-type Pokemon spread out her vines before whipping them closer. If the vines were to make contact with Niveus's face, he was sure that he will receive a broken nose as a parting gift. He seriously did not want to face Seishirou, if the sapphire-eyed teen kept his promise to meet up with Ash, with nothing less than an injury-free face. Niveus deftly ducked down and the two vines smacked against each other a mere inch above his head.

"Hurry, use Quick Attack, Niveus!" Ash exclaimed.

The Mouse Pokemon dashed towards Snivy on all fours with a white streak trailing behind him.

Ash then gave a command to Snivy. "Snivy, absorb the force of Niveus's Quick Attack and send it back to him with interest!"

The Grass Snake Pokemon held out her hands in front of her and waited for Niveus. The Pikachu slammed into her, sending her sliding a couple of feet backwards. In Niveus's case, he slided a couple of feet forwards since Snivy managed to grab his head and bring him along for the ride. Snivy felt the energy from the Quick Attack travelled through her arms and into her serpentine-like body. The Grass-type added some of her aura to the foreign energy before siphoning the energy back to Niveus. Her opponent was suddenly propelled backwards but Snivy was not spared as well because the backward momentum created from the forward momentum sent her body sliding backwards.

"Niveus, use Thunderbolt and Snivy, use Leaf Storm!" Ash ordered in succession.

Both Pokemon nodded in response to Ash's commands. Niveus began to charge up his energy, making his body glow bright yellow. Electricity sparked off every area of his body, especially around his red cheeks. He aimed at his target before releasing the pent-up energy in his body in the form of a larger-than-average lightning bolt at the target. In contrast, Niveus's target, Snivy, started spinning and released a pillar of green leaves. She abruptly sent those leaves towards Niveus in order to counter his attack.

The lone lightning bolt clashed with the pillar of leaves. Upon contact, the lightning bolt spawned into several smaller ones to even out the odds. The leaves negated the effects of the lightning bolts but got burned into ashes as a result. An explosion occurred from the combination of the Electric-type and Grass-type attacks and rendered both combatants' sight useless as the black smoke released obscured their view of their respective targets.

"Let's end this training session with a bang," Ash told his two Pokemon. "Use Iron Tail and Leaf Blade to clear out the smoke!"

Snivy's tail took on a green glow while Niveus's tail took on a metallic sheen. Both Pokemon broke off into a sprint towards the other at the same time and jumped into the smoke. A 'clang' sound stimulated the spectators' sense of hearing, signifying that Snivy's Leaf Blade and Niveus's Iron Tail made contact with each other. A second later, a shock wave blew the black smoke away and revealed both Niveus and Snivy whose tails were grinding against one another. Since the force behind the attacks were somewhat equal, Niveus and Snivy failed to overpower the other as they staggered backwards in mid-air. They instinctively arched their backs inward and flipped their bodies backward before landing squarely on the ground.

Niveus grinned at Snivy as he said, _"Kudos to you for giving me such a great workout."_

_"Compliments mean nothing to me," _the Grass Snake Pokemon mildly scoffed_. "If anyone is deserving of praise here, it is you. I am mildly astounded by your sudden growth in power. Either Ash has been secretly training you behind my back or Arceus has chosen to bless you. In any case, a challenge has presented itself to me. Don't let your guard down. Show any weakness and I shall be there to exploit it."_

_"It's not often that I receive compliments from you, Snivy," _Niveus stated as he scratched his head sheepishly. _"Thank you."_

A sadistic smirk suddenly found its way across Snivy's features. She threatened, _"Mention this to anyone and I shall take pleasure in slowly squeezing the life out of you."_

Niveus swallowed nervously. _"U-Understood," _he stammered.

Snivy chuckled softly before she said, _"Glad you see things my way."_

"That was a sweet training session, you guys," the two Pokemon heard their Trainer say. They turned their necks to the direction where they heard Ash's voice and found out that the human was kneeling in front of them with a smile present on his face.

"I see nothing wrong with your form, Snivy," Ash evaluated the Grass Snake Pokemon's performance. "Although, I would have preferred that that Vine Whip of yours connect with Niveus's face. Try not to hold back next time."

Snivy nodded and gave Ash one of her trademark smirks. _"I shall keep that in mind," _she promised him.

Ash patted the Grass-type's head before switching his attention to Niveus. "Gosh Niveus, I knew that you were strong but not this strong," Ash suspired giddily. "Yesterday, you managed to execute twelve Volt Tackles in a row before passing out. That was a massive improvement from the last time when your limit was only five Volt Tackles. Also, your Electro Ball..., wait, scratch that. I think all your attacks have gained a boost in power." Ash then queried, "Were you holding back all that power on purpose, Niveus?"

Niveus shook his head. _"Of course not," _he denied. _"I'm just as surprised as you, Ash." _The Pikachu stopped himself from elaborating any further as he knew that constant denial was the first sign of lying. He did not want to arouse any more suspicion from his suddenly perceptive Trainer.

The black-haired boy was dissatisfied with Niveus's answer but allowed the matter slide. Despite his suspicions, Ash was grateful that Niveus had become more powerful. Since the Pikachu was the unofficial leader of his Pokemon, Ash hoped that this strange occurrence would serve as an incentive for his other Pokemon to start training harder. He now considered Niveus to be his strongest Pokemon but he kept that thought to himself, mostly to avoid incurring the wrath of his fully-evolved Pokemon, especially Charizard and Samurott. If Ash was ever going to achieve his dream of winning a Pokemon League, be it regional or international, he cannot only depend on Niveus. After all, most Pokemon cannot win every fight.

After recalling Snivy into her Poke Ball and allowing Niveus to climb up on his shoulder, he stood up and was about to depart the scene until a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait up, Ash!" Max called out to him.

Ash turned around and saw his friends approaching him with Max having a huge lead over Cilan. He smiled and waved at them. He waited until they reached him before he greeted, "Morning. Liked what you just saw?"

Max nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh. Niveus and Snivy were absolutely awesome. Their attacks were in full synchronization," he observed. The bespectacled teen suddenly wondered aloud, "It was as if they knew what the other was thinking. Are they more than friends, Ash?"

Ash raised an eyebrow over Max's sudden question. He glanced at Niveus from the corner of his eye and silently snickered when he caught sight of the blush tinting the Pikachu's cheeks. Ever since he received his 'gift' from Zekrom, Ash was able to strengthen the bond he had with all his Pokemon. He also was able to discern the hidden personalities of his Pokemon. For example, Ash found out that Niveus was quite the gentleman. The Pikachu would often treat the girls better than the guys so it was considered normal when the male half of Ash's Pokemon insinuated that Niveus was in a relationship with one of the girls.

The brown-eyed Trainer decided to save Niveus from further embarrassment and answered, "Nope."

"Oh," Max mouthed.

"The ingredients that made up that training session were fresh and of the highest quality. The taste was nothing less than sublime," Cilan commended.

Ash, Max and Niveus once again stared blankly at the eccentric Pokemon Connoisseur, unable to comprehend the words that escaped through his lips.

"To put it simply, he is stating that both Pokemon are in top form and that the training session was an absolute thrill to watch," a teen with a familiar voice translated Cilan's words.

The quartet immediately scanned their surroundings and discovered the owner of said voice. The voice belonged to none other than Seishirou. The idiosyncratic teen lazily detached himself from the tree that he was leaning against and strolled over to Ash and his friends.

"It's a pleasure to cross paths with you again, Seishirou," Cilan greeted him.

Max's heart soared at the sight of his idol. "Good morning, Seishirou," he suspired with excitement.

"...Hey, Seishirou," Ash piped up rather meekly. His thoughts drifted back to the time when he and Trip visited Seishioru's residence. He was not sure whether or not Seishirou had forgiven him for unruly behaviour so he decided it was best to display a humble disposition.

Seishirou reciprocated their greetings by giving them a simple nod of his head. His eyes scanned the quartet in front him before they fell upon Ash and Niveus, specifically the former. "Based on that one training session, Niveus and that Snivy of yours are in peak condition. If all your other Pokemon are in top physical condition as well, you might do well in this tournament," he commented.

Ash sensed that there was not anything cynical about that compliment Seishirou had given him and nodded at the enigmatic teen with a shy smile.

The sapphire-eyed teen stared at Ash for a few more seconds before turning around to leave. He said nothing to explain his sudden choice of action and this alarmed Ash to no end.

"Seishirou, wait!" Ash called out to him.

The taller black-haired teen threw an impassive glance over his shoulder. "Yes?"

Ash avoided Seishirou's gaze and shifted from foot to foot. "I... want to... apologize for..., you know, being such a... jerk when I visited your house," he pitifully choked out.

"How can I accept that apology of yours if you cannot even look me in the eye?" Seishirou questioned. "Are you absolutely sincere about this or did someone force you to put on this pitiful act?"

The brown-eyed teen opened his mouth to protest, only to shut it quickly. In his heart, Ash knew that Seishirou was right. Contrary to what other people may think, Ash was actually a very sensitive person. He cared about how other people viewed him and disliked leaving a bad impression on someone. He wanted to prove to Seishirou that he was indeed sincere about his apology but it was easier said than done when the person he was apologizing to had eyes that pierced his soul. Despite his apprehension, Ash steeled himself and lifted his gaze from the ground to Seishirou.

The apathetic teen lazily glanced at Ash's eyes which were filled with fright. Much to his disappointment, Seishirou detected both sincerity and regret in them. His plans to torment Ash by constantly reminding him of the disrespect he displayed at his residence promptly went down the drain.

"Your apology is second-rate but you are forgiven," Seishirou stated.

"Huh, you're forgiving me already?" Ash uttered in disbelief. "Aren't you going to force me to do your housework for a week or something?"

Seishirou raised an eyebrow over Ash's interesting suggestion. "Now that you mention it, I am looking for a part-time slave," he voiced out with a mischievous expression plastered on his face.

Ash's eyes widened when he realized what he had suggested. "No, no, no. Please forget about that suggestion," he begged while flailing his arms wildly.

"Calm yourself," Seishirou assured him. "As if I would hire someone as incompetent as you to do my housework."

Ash sighed in relief. "Yeah, I'm very...," he trailed off as he realized the term that Seishirou had used to describe him. "Hey, what do you mean by 'incompetent'?"

Unfortunately for Ash, his inquiry was left unanswered as Seishirou had silently slipped away, leaving behind an annoyed Trainer with his three friends who were clearly amused by Seishirou's statement.

* * *

Eclipse was seating on a bench in one of the private waiting rooms located in Stadium 8 of the Yin region with his body hunched forward and his forearms resting on his thighs. He waited patiently for the clock on the wall to chime its musical tune which would give him the green light to exit the room and proceed to the battlefield. The emerald-eyed teen allowed his gaze to wander around the room. A diversity of colours mostly consisting of slate grey, midnight blue and dark green entered his vision. Eclipse noticed that the colours were more inclined to the cool side of the warm-cool spectrum.

"I suppose these colours had been specifically chosen so that the competitors enter a state of calmness before enduring the pressure of Pokemon battling," Eclipse concluded. "I wouldn't be surprised if the waiting rooms of the stadiums in the Yang region are painted with warm colours. After all, almost everything in this tournament is centered around the black-and-white theme."

However, the calm atmosphere was disturbed when Eclipse's cellphone, which he always carried no matter where he went, rang in an out-of-date tune. Call him old-fashioned but Eclipse never really cared about the latest trends, ringtones included. Exhaling a sigh, Eclipse dug into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone and hovered it near his right ear.

"Hello, this is Eclipse Silverline speaking," he drawled.

_"...Hi, Eclipse," _a voice on the other line greeted him in a barely audible tone.

Eclipse instantly recognized the owner of the voice. "What do you want, Seth?" he inquired forcefully.

_"I... just wanted to... wish you luck," _Seth said.

"Couldn't you wish me luck earlier?" Eclipse retorted. "I was fully focused on my upcoming match until you came along and shattered my focus."

Seth was taken aback by his partner's harsh tone. _"I'm... sorry," _he apologized meekly.

The silver-haired teen pinched the bridge of his nose and took a calming breath. He realized that he had no right to be angry with Seth when the exact time of his match was beyond the younger teen's knowledge. Besides that, the younger teen did admire him to some extent.

"There is no need for you to apologize," Eclipse told Seth calmly. "If anyone should be apologizing here, it is me. While we're on the subject of apologies, you should stop saying 'I'm sorry' all the time. It gives people the impression that you do not possess a backbone."

_"I'm sorry," _Seth repeated.

Eclipse sighed in exasperation. "Anything else, Seth?"

_"Oh, our next meeting with the other Legendary Hunters shall be held at Aries Hotel in a month's time, at least that's what they told me," _Seth informed Eclipse_. "I heard that we will be discussing about the Legendary Beasts."_

"Entei, Suicune and Raikou, huh?" Eclipse asked for confirmation.

_"Uh-huh," _Seth confirmed.

"Thank you for the info. Talk to you later," Eclipse monotoned.

_"Bye," _Seth said cheerfully before hanging up.

At the same time Eclipse inserted his cellphone back into his pocket, the clock on the wall chimed eight o'clock.

"Guess that's my cue," he announced as he made his way over to the door. When he gripped the doorknob and pulled the door, he was greeted by an unexpected visitor. He found himself staring down at a small boy who reminded him of a certain acquaintance.

"What do you want, kid?" Eclipse huffed, annoyed with all the distractions that plagued his day.

The silver-eyed boy gazed at Eclipse with a clueless expression. "Hmm..., that's a good question. What do I want from you?" the boy wondered aloud.

Eclipse got the distinct impression that the child in front of him was making fun of him. "As much as I would love to play Twenty Questions with you," he stated sarcastically, "you are making me late for my match so I would appreciate it if you would step aside."

The black-haired youth tilted his head in apparent confusion. "Why?" he asked innocently.

"You are making me late for my match, that's why," Eclipse replied, annoyance creeping into his manner of speech.

"Is your match really that important to you?" the younger boy prodded.

Eclipse narrowed his eyes at the boy before roughly pushing him aside. One could tell by this action that he does not give that much thought to anybody who annoyed him, kids included. Before Eclipse could even distance himself from the small boy, the latter reached out and gripped the silver-haired teen's pants with surprising strength, halting Eclipse in his tracks in the process.

"You really are an uptight individual," the boy remarked, the innocence in his voice replaced by a mocking tone. "I now see why my onii-san regards you as his favourite plaything."

"Plaything?" Eclipse thought as he glanced at the boy over his shoulder.

"My name is Seito 'Sanctus' Syuusuke," the boy introduced himself. "It is a _displeasure_ to make your acquaintance." He then gave Eclipse a mocking bow.

His interest piqued, Eclipse knelt down and scrutinized the boy from head to toe. "You must be related to Seishirou then," he concluded.

Seito grinned impishly. "Wow, you're skills of observation are so sharp," he mocked. "How did you manage to come to that conclusion? Is it because my last name is also Syuusuke or it is because of my charming personality?"

"The former option more than the latter," Eclipse replied tonelessly. Since the boy claimed to be Seishirou's younger brother, Eclipse thought it was best to act as if Seishirou was in the boy's place. Whenever he was in Seishirou's presence, Eclipse felt relieved as he could just be himself. He refrained from putting on a facade when he interacted with Seishirou since the enigmatic teen was notorious for playing with other people's emotions. Plus, he did not know how the act in front of children. Though, the fact that the kid in front of him was related to Seishirou made things a tad bit easier.

Eclipse promptly reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "Can you do me a favour?" he requested as he held out the envelope to Seito. "Could you pass along this envelope to your brother?"

Seito's eyes glinted with mischief. "So, relatively speaking, your wish is for me to become a courier?" he jumbled up Eclipse's request.

"...Yes," Eclipse said hesitantly. He was growing increasingly wary of Seito since the boy's personality somewhat matched Seishirou's personality with the exception of the boy's sarcasm. Seishirou had been more sardonic rather than sarcastic. If this really was the case, Eclipse would have to pay attention to the words that escaped his lips.

"I require payment," Seito said simply.

"Money?" Eclipse thought aloud.

Seito scoffed, "Like my onii-san, I have no interest in this world's legal tender. The price can be anything abstract or concrete, as long as it's value is equivalent to that of the wish."

"What shall happen if this requirement is not fulfilled?" Eclipse queried curiously.

"According to my onii-san, the punishment involves blood," Seito responded. "The balance of the universe has been affected so compensation in the form of either the client's or the granter's blood is required to restore the balance."

Eclipse shook his head. "This kid's just as vague as Seishirou," he inwardly moaned. He then uttered, "Name your price."

Seito closed his eyes in thought. He then opened them and stated, "Your cellphone-"

The emerald-eyed breathed a sigh of relief. He was slightly glad that the price was something he could easily replace. He casually took out his cellphone to delete all the content first before handing it to Seito.

"-with the content intact."

The older of the two boys was just a second away from pressing the delete button before Seito added those four words. With a grumble, he moved his thumb away from the delete button and held out the cellphone to Seito.

Seishirou's younger brother snatched both the envelope and the cellphone from Eclipse's hand before pocketing them in his pants. He then stared at Eclipse with a malicious glint in his eyes, making the older boy slightly nervous. Suddenly, Seito leaned forward and planted a kiss on Eclipse's lips. Almost instantly, he broke away from the kiss and sprinted away on his toes, laughing merrily as he was enshrouded by the shadows.

Eclipse stared blankly at Seito's disappearing form. Slightly perturbed by the kid's sudden action, he wiped his lips with his thumb to get rid of any lingering saliva. He immediately produced a handkerchief and wiped his thumb clean.

"The boy seems to be suffering from a minor case of bipolar disorder," he stated offhandedly. "Though, he is related to Seishirou so that could have been an act for all I care."

A shred of pity welled up inside of Eclipse but he quickly extinguished it. His mind cleared of all distractions, he proceeded to the battlefield where his opponent awaited him.

* * *

"Welcome to this opening match of Group XXXX, ladies and gentlemen!" the emcee announced. "This match shall be fought between Annalyn 'May' Moonwell from Twinleaf Town and Eclipse Silverline from Silver Shore Island which is considered to be a part of the Orange Archipelago. Both of these Trainers' resumes are not that eye-catching with Annalyn's best results being a semifinal showing at the Lily of the Valley Conference and victory at the Kanto Battle Frontier while Eclipse's achievements include victories in several small competitions. Regardless, the fact that they are here means that the Committee of the Pokemon League has acknowledge their strengths as Pokemon Trainers. Who knows? Perhaps one of these Trainers will come of age in this tournament." He paused for a moment to catch his breath before he roared, "Let's get this show on the road!"

All eyes were locked onto the giant screen atop the stadium. The screen promptly activated and the Trainers' images were immediately displayed. Three empty slots, which shall be used to display the images of the Pokemon competing, flashed into existence below each Trainer's image. A wheel consisting of yellow and blue segments popped up in the middle of the screen. A blue segment then lit up and the light began flashing from segment to segment before coming to a stop on a blue segment.

"The wheel has spoken!" the emcee exclaimed. "Eclipse shall send out his Pokemon first!"

"Haxorus, secure my victory!" Eclipse shouted as he released a Pokemon that was categorized in the same species as Fraxure.

"Eclipse has chosen to start things off with a Haxorus!" the emcee stated as the Axe Jaw Pokemon's icon appeared below Eclipse's image.

Annalyn pondered on the right Pokemon for her to send out to face Haxorus. After a moment's thought, she grabbed a Poke Ball and flung it into the air. "Floatzel, time to shine!"

The Sea Weasel Pokemon emerged out of his Poke Ball and grinned cheekily at Haxorus, eager to best the Axe Jaw Pokemon in battle. On cue with Floatzel's release, an empty slot below Annalyn's image lit up as Floatzel's profile shot occupied it.

"The first battle of the match is between Haxorus and Floatzel!" the official announced. "Let the match begin!"

"Haxorus, let's end this battle quickly," Eclipse called out to his Pokemon. "Use Draco Meteor."

The Dragon-type Pokemon released a vociferous roar as his body glowed orange and a ball of draconic energy formed inside his chest. The ball of light then travelled up Haxorus's body to his massive maw which the Axe Jaw Pokemon opened wide to accomodate the large sphere of energy. He bent his neck so that the sky entered his sights before firing the orb of energy into the air. The moment it's ascension to the clouds came to a stop, the sphere of light exploded and triggered the release of many orbs of light which were smaller than their proginetor. They rained down towards the battlefield or more specifically, Annalyn's side of the battlefield.

Annalyn hastily ordered, "Protect, Floatzel."

Floatzel held up his hands up into the air and conjured up a bluish-green forcefield around him. A second later, the spheres of draconic energy bombarded the battlefield around Floatzel, causing multiple explosions to occur and shards of rock to fly in every direction. Annalyn was forced to cross her arms over her face to prevent the rocks from hitting her eyes. If her sight was taken away, then her hopes of winning the match would be completely dashed. The layer of dust enshrouding the battlefield was swept away by a gust of wind to reveal Floatzel who was unharmed by the attack. The forcefield around him protected the Water-type Pokemon from the devastating Dragon-based attack but the same could not be said of the battlefield which was cluttered with depressions. Still, the condition of the battleground was not so bad that it required to be replaced.

"Good job, Floatzel," Annalyn praised him as Floatzel dispelled the forcefield surrounding him.

"Floatzel, like many other Pokemon in this tournament, has proven the usefulness of having the ultimate defensive move in your repetoire of attacks!" the emcee stated poetically.

Annalyn raised her finger and pointed it at her opponent's Pokemon. "Run towards Haxorus while using Ice Shard."

The Sea Weasel Pokemon deftly broke into a sprint towards his opponent. As the distance between them was dwindling, Floatzel held out a paw in Haxorus's direction. He siphoned his aura into said paw, making it glow light blue in the process. The Water-type Pokemon then proceeded to fire chunk after chunk of ice at the Axe Jaw Pokemon as if he were using a gun.

"Those pitiful shards of ice are extremely laughable," Eclipse uttered flippantly. "Haxorus, let's kill two birds with one stone. Use Dragon Rush."

The Dragon-type roared in approval as he eagerly lunged towards Floatzel. Suddenly, his body was enveloped in a light blue orb with white streaks trailing along its surface. Speaking of its surface, when the ice shards came into contact with it, they shattered out of existence.

"You are now witnessing the difference in power between both of the combatants' respective attacks, ladies and gentlemen!" the emcee cried out excitedly. "Despite the inferiority of Ice Shard, Floatzel presses on forward. What does Annalyn have in store?"

The emcee's question was answered almost instantly as Annalyn instructed, "Jump over Haxorus, Floatzel."

Floatzel hastily leapt forwards into the air. The fact that Haxorus was just an arm's length away from hitting remarkably did not faze him one bit. The Sea Weasel Pokemon then twisted his body in midair so that his back was facing his opponent and slightly arched his back inwards. Floatzel could practically feel the energy from the Dragon Rush brush against his back as Haxorus went under him. Once the danger had passed, Floatzel arched his back again, outwards this time, thus bringing him back to an upright position. Gravity did the rest as it attracted the Water-type Pokemon back to the ground.

"Great evasive action by Floatzel!" the emcee commented.

"Floatzel, freeze Haxorus's back with Ice Beam," Annalyn commanded. She added, "After that, use Focus Blast."

Annalyn's Pokemon lowered down his jaws and shot a thin beam of ice which struck Haxorus's back, freezing it in an instant. His opponent roared in discomfort as he was exposed to an attack that dealt him far more damage compared to other attacks due to the attack's element, Ice.

"Haxorus's reaction to that Ice Beam was expected since the Dragon-type Pokemon is weak against Ice-based attacks!" the emcee announced.

The Sea Weasel Pokemon, having completed the first command, immediately got to work on his second one. He held out his left paw in front of him and spun it in a circular motion. Gradually, a blue sphere of energy began to take shape in the 'circle' bordered by his moving paw. Once the Focus Blast was completed, Floatzel drew back his right arm and gave the orb of energy a solid punch. The ball of compressed energy practically zoomed the length of the battlefield in an instant and exploded upon impact with Haxorus's frozen back. To further add to the Axe Jaw Pokemon's list of woes, the Focus Blast shattered the ice on his back and tiny icicles were born as a result. They scraped against his back, eliciting a pained moan from Haxorus.

Eclipse was unfazed by this sudden turn of events. He ignored Haxorus's cry of pain that was ringing in his ears and receded into his thoughts. "I am in a disadvantageous situation," he mused. "Haxorus is weak against Ice-based attacks so I need to turn the tide in my favour soon. Luckily, Haxorus has just the attack for this type of situation."

Confidence was coursing through Annalyn's veins as she ordered, "Use Brick Break, Floatzel!"

One of his arms glowed white as he broke into a full-hearted dash towards his stunned opponent. He jumped into the air and raised his arm, eager to inflict more pain on Haxorus.

Haxorus's Trainer allowed a faint grin to drift across his features. "Dragon Tail, Haxorus," he commanded.

As with his Trainer, Haxorus grinned slightly before executing the command. He lifted his tail slightly before swinging it at Floatzel. Since the Sea Weasel Pokemon was airborne, his movement was extremely limited and he could do to nothing to prevent Haxorus's Dragon Tail from finding its mark. Haxorus's muscular tail slammed into Floatzel's gut, not only knocking the wind out of the Sea Weasel Pokemon but also sending him flying several more feet into the air.

"Floatzel!" Annalyn yelled out in concern.

Suddenly, Floatzel's Poke Ball shot out a red beam which engulfed the Water-type Pokemon and returned him back into his Poke Ball, thus forcing him out of the battle. Then, another one of Annalyn's Poke Balls snapped open and shot out a blue light that struck the battlefield. The blue light grew in size and shape before dissipating to reveal an Infernape. The Infernape in question looked around in question, curious as to why her Trainer did say out her usual battle cry before sending her out to battle.

Murmurs and whispers of confusion broke out amongst the spectators. The emcee immediately put his great knowledge of Pokemon attacks to good use as he informed them, "All of you had just witnessed the effect of Dragon Tail. If the opposing Pokemon is hit with this attack, then it shall be forcibly returned back into its Poke Ball and another Pokemon will take its place." The emcee added, "In this case, Haxorus's Dragon Tail worked to Eclipse's advantage as it replaced Floatzel with Infernape. With the exception of Dragon-type enthusiasts, most people do not know that Haxorus are slightly resistant to Fire-based attacks."

"Ooooohhhh," the crowd echoed. Up on the screen, the light around Floatzel's image faded to grey while the empty slot below it lit up, displaying Infernape's image.

Eclipse smirked. "Perfect."

Annalyn bit the inside of her cheek. She did not expect the advantage to be snatched away from her so soon. A minute ago, she could afford to order her Pokemon to battle freely and recklessly. Presently though, she and by extension, her Infernape, would have to be more conservative in their approach. While Haxorus was resistant to Fire-based attacks, this fact did not put Infernape at a total disadvantage since she was part Fighting-type.

"Overcome Haxorus with speed, Infernape," Annalyn called out. "Use Mach Punch."

The Flame Pokemon knelt down on her right knee before launching herself towards Haxorus with a glowing arm.

"Protect," Eclipse commanded.

On cue, a bluish-green forcefield surrounded Haxorus and protected him from Infernape's Mach Punch which bounced off the surface of the barrier.

Seeing Infernape's staggered state, Eclipse swiftly ordered, "Dragon Pulse."

Haxorus grinned sadistically before opening his mouth and shooting out a bright green ball of draconic energy at his opponent.

"Kick it back with Blaze Kick!" Annalyn called out forcefully.

Since Infernape's battle stance was in an unbalanced state, she knew that she could not execute Blaze Kick the normal way so she decided to improvise. The Flame Pokemon allowed gravity to pull her back until it came into contact with the ground. She then folded her legs against her chest and channelled her aura to the soles of her feet, making them burst into flames in the process. Without reservation, she thrusted her legs forwards and struck her intended target. As a result, the bright green orb was propelled back towards its proginetor who clearly did not expect his opponent to reverse the situation. The energy-filled sphere exploded upon contact with Haxorus's black-skinned chest and pushed the axe Jaw Pokemon a couple of feet backwards.

"A great reversal by Infernape!" the emcee complimented.

Annalyn noticed that Haxorus was still reeling from being struck by the Dragon Pulse. This gave her plenty of assurance to give out her next command. "Close Combat, Infernape!"

Infernape used her exceptional speed to her advantage as she closed the distance between her and Haxorus in just one second. She expelled a determined shriek as she assailed her foe with a flurry of punches and kicks. Each strike found its mark, damaging Haxorus even further.

"Annalyn has pegged back the momentum as Infernape is not letting up on its assault one bit!" the emcee exclaimed. "Eclipse better think of something fast or..." The emcee suddenly paused mid-sentence when he caught sight of the barely noticeable smirk across the silver-haired Trainer's features. The man with the mike resumed, "I retract my earlier statement. Eclipse does not seem the least bit concerned over the current situation. Does he have a plan in mind?"

Confusion marred her face as Annalyn gazed at her opponent. She suddenly felt a sense of foreboding in her heart when she noticed that the corner of Eclipse's lips had curved upwards a little.

"Use Toxic, Haxorus," Eclipse ordered.

The Axe Jaw Pokemon breathed in a huge intake of air before he sprayed a stream of thick, purple liquid onto Infernape's face. She immediately halted her assault on Haxorus and leapt backwards, hissing in pain as the corrosive property of the liquid splattered on her face took effect. The Fire-type Pokemon managed to wipe her face clean with her arms but as a result, the burning sensation was transferred to her most prized appendages. If that was not bad enough, her body suddenly glowed purple with some bubbles of the same colour emerging from her skin.

"Well now, it looks like Infernape has been poisoned!" the emcee observed. "From this point on, Infernape will have to contend with two opponents, Haxorus and time. Annalyn had better come up with a strategy to defeat Haxorus quickly as the poison coursing through Infernape's veins is slowly ebbing away at its health!"

"Thanks for the inside perspective, Captain Obvious," Annalyn grumbled in a barely audible tone. "Hmm..., I should ask Infernape to use long-ranged moves to minimize her movements but most of them are Fire-based. Since Haxorus is slightly resistant to Fire-based attacks, they are close to being useless. That means I have to rely on her close-ranged attacks to get the job done. I must act quickly before the poison overwhelms her."

"Use Agility to get close to Haxorus and execute Focus Punch!" Annalyn commanded determinedly. She added, "Then, follow it up with Double Kick!"

Infernape ignored the pain that was pulsing all over her body and focused on carrying out her Trainer's instructions. She held out her right arm to the side and balled her paw into a fist. Said fist suddenly took on a blue glow as Infernape transfered some of her aura into that particular appendage. Next, the Flame Pokemon ran towards her opponent while disappearing and reappearing in different spots, confusing her opponent to an extent. When Infernape reappeared in front of Haxorus, she straight away jumped up and delivered a solid punch to the Dragon-type's chest, forcing a cough to be expelled out of Haxorus. Infernape then contorted her body and planted two kicks on the same spot, sending the Axe Jaw Pokemon sliding backwards.

"Sweet combo there by Infernape!" the emcee began. "However-"

As Infernape's feet met solid ground again, her body suddenly spasmed and emitted an intense purple glow. The Flame Pokemon's body hunched forwards but she managed to stop her forward momentum by spreading out her legs. With a much wider base, her overall balance had improved as she corrected her stance.

"-this strategy is extremely risky because it involves a lot of movement on Infernape's part. The Flame Pokemon has to make every attack count for if it doesn't, it will surely succumb to the poison in its body." He continued, "Dragon Tail does not allow the Pokemon that replaced the Pokemon before it to be switched out so the sooner Infernape takes out Haxorus, the sooner it gets to rest in its Poke Ball."

Infernape's body glowed purple again, presenting Eclipse with an opportunity. "Pull yourself together and use Dragon Pulse."

Once Haxorus composed himself by taking a few deep breaths, he locked onto his target and shot another sphere of draconic energy at Infernape.

"Use Rock Tomb as a shield!" Annalyn countered.

Grunting in approval, Infernape raised her right leg and slammed the heel of her foot onto the ground. On cue, a pillar of grey stone erupted from the uneven surface of the battlefield in front of the Flame Pokemon. The pillar of stone was instantly sacrificed as Haxorus's Dragon Pulse collided with it. Thus, Infernape was prevented from being dealt with more bodily harm.

Infernape's Trainer was about to breathe a sigh of relief but the sight of her Pokemon's body flashing purple again turned the sigh of relief that she was about to exhale into a sigh of frustration. "This isn't good," she grumbled to herself. "The poison is spreading faster than I thought it would. Hmm..., in this situation, I can only depend on one attack."

After making sure that Infernape had indeed composed herself, Annalyn shouted, "End it with Flare Blitz, Infernape!"

The Fire-type Pokemon, in her poisoned state, had to exert a lot more energy than usual in leaping up into the air. Once she was satisfied with the potential energy she had gathered from her ascension to the skies, she promptly covered her body in flames and dived down towards her opponent.

"It would seem that this shall be Annalyn and Infernape's last-ditch attempt to score a first win in this match!" the emcee narrated suspensefully. "How will Eclipse and Haxorus nullify this effort?"

Eclipse shook his head in disappointment. His opponent had unknowingly given him the advantage on a silver platter by ordering her Infernape to use such a risky move. "Haxorus," he monotoned, "use Hyper Beam."

With his heart devoid of any mercy, Haxorus waited until his opponent was just a tad bit closer to him before opening his giant chompers and firing a powerful beam of energy at Infernape. Due to her inability to change her course due to being in midair, the Flame Pokemon could only brace herself as she was engulfed by the beam.

"Infernape!" Annalyn yelled out in horror.

In this minor skirmish, Eclipse had the last laugh, in a figurative way to be exact. He quietly observed the scene which was unfolding on the battlefield. In a more specific sense, he watched as his opponent's Pokemon was sent flying backwards, having been at the receiving end of a powerful Hyper Beam, at point-blank range no less. The Flame Pokemon crashed onto the battlefield, battered and unconscious. With her strength and energy continually sapped by the poison in her body, Eclipse would be mildly surprised if the Flame Pokemon even had the energy to lift a finger.

"Infernape is unable to battle!" the official, decked in his black and white attire, announced as he raised the blue flag. The colouration around Infernape's icon faded completely, signifying her defeat.

"Oh..., all of Infernape's hard work was all for naught!" the emcee exclaimed dramatically. "Just comes to show you that issuing just a single wrong command is fatal in a tournament of this calibre! Can Annalyn bounce back from this demoralizing loss and get back on track?"

The fourteen-year-old girl seriously wanted to strangle the emcee for that comment. She could read in between the lines and kind off figured out that the emcee was playing down her credentials as a Zenith League participant. Despite feeling angry towards the commentator, she calmed herself down by taking a deep breath and counting to ten. A cliche method to cool down but effective nonetheless.

"There's no point in me getting frustrated," Annalyn chastised herself. "I'm only down by one Pokemon. Victory is still possible." After recalling Infernape back into her Poke Ball, she immediately unclipped another one from her belt. "Amber, time to shine!"

The blue-haired teen tossed the Poke Ball into the air in tandem with that exclamation. The dual-coloured containment device snapped open and released a Charizard a second later.

"Looks like Annalyn has opted for muscle in an attempt to get back on track!" the emcee blared, his voice reverberating throughout the stadium. "Her second Pokemon is a Charizard!" The Fire-type's image was instantly inserted into the last empty slot below her Trainer's icon.

Annalyn noticed that her opponent made no attempt to withdraw his Haxorus, meaning that she was free to give out an order. "Amber, start things off with Dragon Rage!" she commanded.

The Charizard, without hesitation, formed a ball of fire in her mouth and released a fiery inferno towards Haxorus.

"Nullify it with Counter," Eclipse ordered in retaliation.

Haxorus crossed his arms over his chest and began to charge up his energy, causing his armored body to become outlined in orange. Amber's Dragon Rage struck its intended target but no harm came upon Haxorus. Instead, the attack was reflected back at Amber with its power multiplied by a factor of two.

Amber's Trainer quickly shouted, "Block with Steel Wing!"

The Fire-type's wings immediately took on a metallic sheen as she folded them in front of her body. The beam of draconic energy crossed the length of the battlefield and came into contact with Amber's hardened appendages. Despite its increased power, it failed to penetrate Amber's defence as the Charizard stood her ground. With a defiant roar, she swung her wings outward which had the effect of the Dragon Rage being dispelled.

"Astounding!" the emcee roared in tandem with the crowd's applause. "Charizard cancelled out that Dragon Rage as if were a small wisp of fire!"

Eclipse was unaffected by Amber's feat confidence-wise as he softly instructed, "Use Dragon Rush."

Just like earlier in the match, Haxorus rushed towards his opponent with the intention of slamming his body, which was covered in a bright blue orb, into the Charizard's abdomen.

Annalyn thought a bit before deciding upon a suitable command. "Use Aerial Ace!"

The Flame Pokemon flapped her wings so that she floated about ten feet off the ground. She then dived towards Haxorus with silver streaks trailing behind her. She folded her wings against her body mid-dive in to reduce wind resistance and increase the speed of her dive.

"This is gonna be a big collision, folks!" the emcee determined.

Unfortunately for him, Annalyn decided to get back at him for that comment he made after her Infernape lost to Eclipse's Haxorus. "Angle your body about 30 degrees to the left!" she called out to Amber.

Amber did exactly as her Trainer said as she avoided a collision with Haxorus by a mere whisker. Most of the crowd were disappointed at having been denied another explosion so they took out their frustration on the emcee by throwing popcorn at him.

Annalyn laughed silently before switching her attention back to the match. "Immobilize Haxorus with Dragon Claw!"

The blue-haired girl's Charizard made her claws glow light blue before she dived down and delivered two slashes on Haxorus's back. Haxorus dropped down on one knee as the pain of being dealt a super effective attack spread from his back throughout his whole body.

"Finish Haxorus off with Dragon Pulse!" Annalyn hollered with vigour.

Detecting the desperation in Annalyn's voice, Amber immediately opened her mouth and conjured up a turquoise ball of energy in front of it. Snapping her head backwards, she brought it forwards in one fluid motion and fired the orb at Haxorus exposed back.

Eclipse did not even bother to call out to his Haxorus to avoid the Dragon Pulse. Even if the Axe Jaw Pokemon did dodge the powerful Dragon-based move, it would serve to prolong the inevitable. After all, the Dragon-type Pokemon had already suffered damage that would affect his performance. As this was the case, Eclipse idly watched as his Haxorus was struck by the Dragon Pulse which was enough to sap the Axe Jaw Pokemon's remaining strength as he ended up sprawled on the battlefield.

The referee promptly raised the yellow flag and declared, "Haxorus is unable to battle!"

***PING***

If it had been the first day of the Zenith League, then the spectators would be wondering about the whereabouts of that sound since most of them had never been at an official Pokemon tournament. However, having experienced the atmosphere of a Pokemon tournament firsthand not twenty-four hours ago, they now know that the sound that they had just heard symbolized the defeat of a Pokemon.

"Return, Haxorus," Eclipse respired lazily as he recalled the Axe Jaw Pokemon back into his Poke Ball, switching it with another Poke Ball almost instantly. He whispered, "Leviathan, secure my victory."

The Pokemon that emerged from the Poke Ball turned out to be the same Pokemon that Annalyn was using at that moment. However, Leviathan's appearance could not be any more different from Amber's. Unlike Annalyn's Charizard, the front of Leviathan's two wings was red in colour while the back was black like most of his body. Also, his belly and the undersides of his feet were somewhat ash grey in appearance.

"Shiny Pokemon are quite the common sight in this tournament compared to the wild," the emcee stated observantly. "Yesterday, we had a chance to witness a Shiny Sceptile, a Shiny Pikachu and a Shiny Charmander in action. This time, we all get to see a Shiny Charizard strut its stuff!" Leviathan's icon lit up and occupied the second slot below Eclipse's profile shot a second later.

The crowd's cheering went up a notch as they were excited at the prospect of seeing two Charizard fight it out against each other. It was a very strange phenomenon. If fully-evolved Grass-type or Water-type Pokemon were sent out to fight, they would not get the same amount of applause as Fire-types did. Ever since the inception of Pokemon tournaments, witnessing battles between Fire-type Pokemon were always on top of the list of every die-hard fan. No one knew how the bias towards Fire-type Pokemon came to exist. It was just... there.

Unfortunately for the fans, they would have to wait a little longer as Annalyn immediately recalled her Charizard. She liked an all-out brawl between Fire-type Pokemon as much as the next person but she remembered that she was a Trainer, not a spectator. She came into the match with a specific game plan in mind and she would rather forfeit the match than throw her game plan down the drain just to satisfy the crowd.

"Floatzel, come back out!" she cried as she released the Sea Weasel Pokemon back into the battlefield.

"Ah, it would seem that Annalyn has opted for the type advantage," the emcee drawled, his enthusiasm struck down by the blue-haired girl's decision to switch her Pokemon.

Annalyn, inwardly chuckling for putting a plug on the emcee's zeal, took the initiative once again. "Razor Wind, Floatzel!"

Upon receiving his order, Floatzel made the two fins on his arms glow white as a result of pumping some energy into them. The Sea Weasel Pokemon then swung them outwards, firing a multitude of white, crescent-shaped disks from them towards Leviathan.

"Air Slash, Leviathan," Eclipse calmly commanded.

Grateful to his Trainer for allowing him to sate his lust for battle, he fully complied with Eclipse's command. Leviathan's wings gained a light blue glow as he smoothly crossed them in front of his body. A second later, he opened them up and released multiple light blue saw-like energy discs to counter his foe's Razor Wind.

On paper, Razor Wind and Air Slash were almost equal in power so it came down to their individual strengths to decide the outcome when those attacks collide with each other. Unsurprisingly, Leviathan's Air Slash sliced through Floatzel's Razor Wind and continued on towards the Water-type Pokemon. He was granted ample time to dodge the energy discs but he certainly did not expect them to suddenly speed up. His reflexes were not at fault but it was mostly due to the surprise factor that made those energy discs find their mark.

The emcee seemed to have regained the will to do his job as he spoke out, "Those razor-sharp energy discs must've surely done a number on Floatzel!" Inwardly, he gloated, "Hah, serves you right for switching out your Pokemon."

Eclipse, who still kept his expressionless mask on, instructed, "Wing Attack."

Leviathan quickly launched himself into the air with the flap of his wings and dived down towards Floatzel, eager to hit the the Sea Weasel Pokemon with one of his glowing wings.

"Jump and use Aqua Tail on Leviathan's back!" Annalyn hollered.

Floatzel quickly recovered from Leviathan's Air Slash and leapt into the air just in time to avoid his opponent's attack. When Leviathan was directly below him, Floatzel's two tails glowed light blue and he spun them around, a stream of water spiralling around each one. Spinning head over heels, Floatzel slammed his two tails on Leviathan's exposed back, sending the Flame Pokemon crashing onto the ground. The force at which Leviathan collided with the battlefield was rather substantial as dust was kicked up into the air. Floatzel then made use of the backward momentum to launch himself out of the cloud of dust.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt," the emcee observed. "Charizard was on the receiving end of a very powerful Aqua Tail! Are we bearing witness to a one-hit knockout?"

Everyone in the stadium received the answer a second later when Leviathan shot out of the dust cloud and chose to remain in the air. The Shiny Charizard slowly turned around to look down at his opponent, who was still airborne, with an annoyed expression on his face.

Eclipse sighed as he sensed his Shiny Charizard's growing impatience. He caressed a strand of his silver hair before he directed, "Use Flame Burst to push Floatzel back onto the ground."

Leviathan was slightly confused as to why his Trainer would ask him to use a Fire-based move but kept his reservations to himself. The Flame Pokemon reared his head back before he fired a bullet of black fire, which drew gasps of amazement from the fans, at his target.

"Aqua Ring, Floatzel!" Annalyn shouted.

The Sea Weasel Pokemon hastily held out his arms to the side and enveloped himself in a veil of water. Leviathan's Flame Burst exploded upon contact with Floatzel, knocking him down towards the ground. He managed to land on his two feet but the remaining momentum caused him to skid backwards a couple of feet. He was a bit shaken up but the barrier of water protected him from suffering any real damage. Once he had calmed himself, he dispelled the cloak of water and settled back into his fighting stance. His body glowed green for a moment as he gazed at his opponent in the sky.

"That was some quick thinking by Annalyn!" the emcee complimented. "Aqua Ring not only protected Floatzel from Charizard's Flame Burst but also healed its wounds received from Charizard's earlier attack!"

Annalyn was so focused on the battle that she completely tuned out the emcee's voice. She ordered, "Knock Leviathan out of the sky with Sonic Boom!"

Since Leviathan was in the sky, Floatzel had to improvise. He leaned forward and placed his paws on the ground before he lifted up the lower half of his body so that he was standing upside down. The Sea Weasel Pokemon made his tails glow white before he spun around like a top. On cue, several shockwaves were released from the 'top' and arced up at a slight angle towards Eclipse's Shiny Charizard.

"Blow them away with Gust," Eclipse commanded tonelessly.

With a flap of his massive wings, Leviathan released a strong gust of wind which altered the shockwaves' course back towards the ground. They bombarded the battlefield, littering it with small depressions.

"Such an effortless Gust from Charizard!" the emcee exclaimed.

"Flare Blitz," Eclipse ordered.

Leviathan let out a powerful roar as his body was engulfed in black flames, once again drawing shocked gasps from the crowd. Their shock was understandable since this was the first time they had seen a Charizard, a Shiny one at that, that was capable of spewing out black flames. The Shiny Charizard did not allow his concentration to be shattered by the spectators as he ascended higher into the sky before he dived down with his wings tucked against his back, intent on bringing a world of pain on Floatzel.

"Quick, counter with Hydro Pump!" Annalyn yelled.

The blue-haired girl's Pokemon promptly blasted a powerful jet of water from his mouth at Leviathan who was getting closer by the second. He was confident, despite the massive difference in size, that his opponent would get blown away by his attack as circumstances dictated that Water-based attacks always triumphed over Fire-based ones. However, in this case, Floatzel could only stand slack-jawed as Leviathan plowed through his Hydro Pump without any effort whatsoever.

Annalyn too was shocked beyond comprehension but managed to pull it together. Her gaze fell back upon the battlefield and she immediately noticed that Floatzel was standing still like a tree. She shouted, "Get out of there, Floatzel!"

Unfortunately for Annalyn, Floatzel did not hear her, the reason being that he was paralyzed with fear. When his Hydro Pump was ruthlessly dispelled, his bodily functions ceased to function and he was tossed into the chasm of doubt. In layman's terms, Floatzel had completely loss the will to fight. He could do nothing but close his eyes and await the inevitable. The Sea Weasel Pokemon felt Leviathan slam into him with brute force and the flames of hell burned every inch of his body as he was propelled backwards into the air.

"Floatzel!" Annalyn cried out in horror.

Mercy was absent from Eclipse's train of thought as he ruthlessly ordered, "Dragon Claw."

Leviathan quickly banished the black flames surrounding his body and siphoned some energy into his claws, making them glow bright green. He then zoomed past Floatzel and slashed his back, catapulting the Water-type Pokemon higher into the sky.

The Shiny Charizard's emerald-eyed Trainer raised his right hand so that it was in line with his shoulders. "AncientPower," he suspired as he snapped his fingers.

Utilizing Agility, Leviathan rocketed up until he was floating above his prey. After that, he tensed up all the muscles in his body and as a result, a silver glow was emitted from his body. The glow then compressed itself to form a silver ball of energy in front of the Shiny Charizard. Locking on to his target, he fired the sphere of energy and watched as it hit Floatzel's gut, pushing the Water-type Pokemon and slamming him into the ground. The silver ball of energy then exploded, increasing the damage dealt to the Sea Weasel Pokemon.

"That was a superb three-hit combo by Charizard!" the emcee bellowed. "Will Floatzel still be able to stand after enduring three powerful attacks in succession?"

The answer to the commentator's question was swiftly answered as the smoke cleared to unveil Floatzel whose consciousness had been taken away and cast off into the black abyss.

"Floatzel is unable to battle!" the referee announced as he raised the blue flag. Since he was now unable to partake in any more battles, Floatzel's image disappeared from the screen.

Annalyn recalled her downed Pokemon with a grim expression plastered on her face. She then looked up at the screen atop the stadium. The blue-haired teen actually did not need to look up at it to know that she only had Amber at her disposal but she did anyway. After watching Eclipse's Shiny Charizard completely decimate her Water-type Pokemon, she was not sure that Amber was capable of wresting this match from Eclipse. Even if the Flame Pokemon did, by some miracle, defeat her Shiny counterpart, there was still the issue of Eclipse's third Pokemon. She had no doubt in her mind that whatever the third Pokemon was, it was bound to be powerful.

She mentally slapped herself and shook her head. "Regardless, I promised myself that I, whether the circumstances favour me or not, would fight until the bitter end," she said with conviction. "If I give up now, then Michael would just see me as a wimp and undeserving of his forgiveness."

Taking a deep breath, she switched out Floatzel's Poke Ball for Amber's and flung it into the air. "Give it all you got, Amber!" she yelled.

Once Amber came out of her Poke Ball, the crowd became extremely zealous yet again. Since Leviathan had suffered little to no damage in his bout with Floatzel, they were pretty confident that they were going to witness the battle of their dreams. Regrettably, at least for the fans, they would be denied again as Eclipse casually recalled his Shiny Charizard. Cries of protest echoed throughout the arena and boos were heckled at the silver-haired teen.

"Fools. Your dreams and fantasies are inconsequential to me," he silently uttered. He then hovered his hand over the third Poke Ball on his belt. "End this, Xavier," he murmured as he tapped the dual-coloured containment device.

The Poke Ball snapped open and released a blue light towards the Sun where it disappeared from everyone's sights. The situation was swiftly resolved as the crowd could make out a figure spinning head over heels towards the battlefield. With only ten feet separating it from the ground, the figure uncurled itself before landing on its toes, kneeling on its right leg to stabilize the Earth's pull on him. The crowd instantly recognized this Pokemon from the four black appendages stemming from its head and the spikes on its arms and chest. They were staring at a Lucario.

"Ah, it would seem that Eclipse's final Pokemon is the Aura Pokemon, Lucario!" the emcee stated unnecessarily as Xavier's image was inserted into the last empty slot below Eclipse's image. "On paper, the type advantage goes to Annalyn and Charizard but having witnessed the strength of Eclipse's earlier Pokemon, I would say that the type advantage is rather irrelevant!"

_"Master Eclipse, what is your wish?" _Xavier conveyed his thoughts telepathically.

"Victory," Eclipse said laconically.

Xavier nodded and replied, _"As you wish." _The Aura Pokemon slowly stood up, lifted his eyelids and settled into a more appropriate stance for battling.

"Hmm..., Lucario are extremely speedy so this one could easily interrupt Amber's attacks," Annalyn contemplated. "If that's the case, then I should make Amber attack from the one place this Lucario can't reach her, the sky." She commanded, "Amber, take to the skies and use Fire Blast!"

The Charizard rapidly spread her wings, flapped them to lift her body slightly off the ground and took to the skies.

"Good strategy by Annalyn!" the emcee praised. "By having her Charizard attack from the sky, Annalyn is minimizing the chances of Lucario landing a hit on the Flame Pokemon!"

Everyone was so focused on observing Amber prepare for her attack that they did not catch the smirks that adorned both Eclipse and Xavier's faces. The fans watched as Amber's eyes glowed orange and her body became surrounded in a fiery aura. Next, the Flame Pokemon breathed in rather deeply, gathering fire in her mouth. She then released five blasts of fire from her mouth down towards Xavier. Each blast of fire took on a 大 shape.

Eclipse swung his right arm outwards and instructed, "Block those blasts of fire with Bone Rush."

Xavier nodded in approval before he held out his forepaws and created a light green bone of energy. He quickly grasped it and started to twirl it around like the blades of a windmill. As the flames crept closer, Xavier started to increase the overall pace of his twirling of the aura-formed bone until the speed was comparable to that of an aircraft engine. Strangely, instead of pushing the air outwards, the 'pseudo-windmill' actually attracted the wind to its centre, acting somewhat like a vortex. The flames were sucked into said vortex which caused them to be cancelled out. Noticing that the threat had been nullified, Xavier slowed the circular motion of the bone before tapping one end of the bone on the ground, dispelling it in the process.

Annalyn's left eye twitched after witnessing Xavier's feat. "Damn, wasn't expecting that," she silently growled. "No matter. As long as Amber stays in the air, then I should be okay."

Eclipse could not help but chuckle a little at his opponent's naivety. He absentmindedly played with the string of beads that wrapped around his left arm before he uttered, "Charge up, Xavier."

The Lucario obliged with his Trainer's command and knelt down on his right knee. He siphoned a large amount of aura into his legs, making them glow bright blue and crackle with electricity. Some of his aura flowed into the ground and made all the pebbles within a five-metre radius float in the air.

"Get ready for somethin' big, folks!" the emcee exclaimed with his voice full of suspense.

Once Eclipse determined that his Lucario had gathered enough energy, he thrust his fist in Amber's direction and said, "Jump."

The moment Xavier's brain registered Eclipse's order, the Aura Pokemon literally rocketed into the sky towards his opponent, leaving behind a sizable crater on the battlefield. Every living soul in the arena, save for Eclipse, were too stunned to even gasp in wonder or roar in amazement. Amber too was so focused on trying to comprehend exactly how the Lucario managed to accomplish such a feat that she did not notice the approaching 'missile' until it was too late. Xavier slammed into the Charizard's gut, making her eyes bulge out and the air in her lungs to be forcibly expelled.

"Amber!" Annalyn cried out.

Eclipse snapped his fingers as he instructed, "Keep up the pressure. Use Meteor Crusher."

Xavier detached himself from Amber's abdomen and began assailing the female Charizard with aura-imbued punches and kicks. Amber groaned in pain as the blows rained down upon her. After littering her abdomen with bruises, he pulled his left arm back and gave Amber a strong punch to her gut, making the Flame Pokemon hunch her body forwards. He then pulled back his right arm and made it pulsate with glowing white aura before thrusting it to Amber's chin, ending the attack with a stellar uppercut.

"What a devastating attack from Lucario!" the emcee shouted.

The Charizard's blue-haired Trainer desperately called out, "Amber, use-"

"Lance Barrage," Eclipse interrupted.

Sympathy was absent from his heart as Xavier swiftly connected his paws together and slowly spread them apart. Rather than a staff composed of aura, a spear with a forked tip, made of aura of course, was created instead. Without hesitation, he grasped the shaft of the spear and started to repeatedly jab her abdomen which was exposed thanks to his earlier attack. Droplets of blood dripped off the the tip of the spear when Xavier retracted it and plopped on the battlefield. Just when it could not get any worse for Amber, Xavier hefted the spear over his shoulder and filled the tip with a substantial amount of aura. Satisfied with the current state of his weapon, he flung it towards Amber and pierced her abdomen as a result.

Annalyn's eyes widened in horror but her ordeal was not over yet as the tip of Xavier's spear glowed brightly before it exploded, thus worsening the stab wound on Amber's chest.

"I don't k-know what t-to say, f-folks," the emcee stammered in shock. "Charizard couldn't h-have possibly s-survived t-that, could it?"

Amber knew that she was plummeting down to the ground. The pain was so unbearable that she was sure she could not stage a comeback. Despite the thought being a cowardly one, self-preservation mattered more to her than honour. She weakly opened her eyes and caught her Trainer's gaze. Amber saw horror, shock and... pain in Annalyn's eyes. Pain was omnipresent in the girl's life..., ever since her mother passed away. If that was not torture enough, the act of leaving her brother during the moment when he needed her the most crushed her with guilt. All of her Pokemon, including Amber, felt her pain and tried their best to ease her suffering, if only a little. The Charizard had high hopes for her Trainer when she went off to apologize to her brother yesterday but knew that it was a little naive for Annalyn to even think that Michael would accept her apology. As Amber expected, Annalyn came back bitterly disappointed but her determination had not waned in the slightest. In fact, Michael's rejection of her made Annalyn strengthen her resolve to seek her brother's forgiveness.

The Flame Pokemon chuckled faintly. _"My giving up here won't exactly leave a good impression on your brother, huh?" _she suspired tiredly. _"Alright then. I guess self-preservation would have to take a back seat this time around."_

Disregarding all the pain pulsing throughout her body, Amber executed an abrupt U-turn and launched herself towards Xavier with her body wreathed in flames. Her opponent was taken by surprise as the Flame Charge found its mark.

"Amazing!" the emcee cried out in surprise. "Charizard has recovered from Lucario's assault and surprised all of us by hitting Lucario with a quick counter-attack!" Cheers for Amber began to reverberate throughout the packed arena.

Annalyn was snapped out of her state of shock and saw that Amber had Xavier on the defensive. She hastily called out, "Use Dragon Claw!"

After making her claws glow light blue by filling it with draconic energy, she swung her arm downwards and slashed Lucario with those claws, sending the Aura Pokemon plummeting towards the battlefield. After that attack, her body spasmed in pain but the Flame Pokemon shrugged it off.

"You can do it, Amber!" Annalyn encouraged. "Flare Blitz!"

Like Flame Charge, she dived at her opponent with her body covered in flames. However, the flames covering her body this time were more ferocious and burning at a brighter intensity.

"Could this attack by the final move in what would be a superb come-from-behind win?" the emcee shouted gleefully.

Eclipse did not look the least bit worried about the predicament that Xavier had found himself entangled in as he smoothed out the white fur around the collar of his jacket. "I think this is enough drama for one day," he said. "Xavier, execute Dragoon Fang."

Xavier waited until his opponent was closer before he created another spear of aura. He calmly transferred his aura into the spear until it was coated with blue flames. Narrowing his eyes at Amber, he accurately flung the flaming spear at her head. Upon contact with the flames shielding her head, the spear exploded, launching Amber back towards the sky and speeding Xavier's descent to the ground. Thinking on his feet, he quickly formed an aura-composed spear and changed his body position so that he was falling perpendicular to the ground. Xavier lodged the spear into the ground and balanced himself on it and waited for the pain in his arms to subside. After that, he allowed gravity to do its work as he folded the lower half of his body and planted his toes on the ground.

"A great display of acrobatics from Lucario!" the emcee extolled, his voice drowning out the crowd's applause. "The Aura Pokemon seems to be fine but what about Annalyn's Charizard?"

Everyone cast their gaze from the ground to the sky but their view was obscured by the black smoke released as a result from the explosion. This meant that they were forced to wait until the smoke thinned out. When the smoke cleared, a gruesome sight entered everybody's vision. There was deep, large gash on Amber's forehead and blood was leaking out of the wound profusely. Her entire face was covered with the red body fluid, effectively blinding the Flame Pokemon. Despite, Amber managed to keep herself afloat, albeit barely. The crowd could make out pained moans coming from the Flame Pokemon.

Pity was not a term usually associated with Eclipse but he had to admit that he felt a little sorry for the Charizard. "You there," he called out, successfully garnering Annalyn's attention, "I think it is better that you forfeit this match." He added, "For your Charizard's sake, I mean."

Annalyn frowned a little. "Why?" she shot back. "Are you saying that I should not believe in Amber's capabilities?"

"It's one thing believing in her abilities," Eclipse began, "but overestimating her capabilities is another matter. Remember, you are the Trainer so you have the final say in any matter concerning your Pokemon. Usually, the act of forfeiting a match is scorned upon but in this case, it shall show that you put that Charizard's well-being above every other matter. Accepting defeat and knowing when to back down are essential towards becoming a well-respected Pokemon Trainer. The public will make all sorts of outlandish remarks about you. They do scratch your heart the first few times but the hurt gradually morphs into minor irritation over time." Seeing that the blue-haired girl was still indecisive, Eclipse decided to use his trump card. "What matters more to you? Victory at the cost of your companions' lives or vice versa?"

Annalyn balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. She was caught in a serious dilemma. If she forfeited the match, it would not leave a good impression on her brother and his forgiveness would surely be out of reach. If she continued the match, she was sure that Michael would be impressed with her fighting spirit but Amber's injuries could worsen to the point that the Charizard would be unable to battle again for the rest of her life. Though it may seem that she had been debating with herself for hours but in actuality, only ten seconds had passed before she came up with her decision.

The blue-haired slowly raised her right hand and meekly yet firmly announced, "I... forfeit this match."

The referee nodded at Annalyn and raised the blue flag. "Annalyn 'May' Moonwell has chosen to retire from this match!" he announced. "The winner is Eclipse Silverline from Silver Shore Island!"

"There you have it, folks!" the emcee narrated. "Annalyn has decided to forfeit this match. Though this match ended in an anticlimactic way, we would be kidding ourselves if we think that the battles we had just witnessed were not up to our expectations! Let's give these two competitors a round of applause!"

The fans did just that. Normally, they would let the competitors know of their frustrations at the match ending in a non-exciting manner but after hearing Eclipse's speech and due to the emcee's urging, they felt slightly ashamed at themselves and decided to be more respectful to the two Trainers, especially Annalyn.

Xavier dispelled the spear of aura in a dignified sort of manner and turned around to face his Trainer. _"It is done, Master Eclipse," _he stated as he once knelt down on his right knee.

"Good work" was the congratulatory remark Xavier received before the Aura Pokemon was engulfed in a red light and recalled back into an enclosed space that was all too familiar to him.

Eclipse clipped Xavier's Poke Ball back onto his belt and watched as his opponent did the same to her severely injured Pokemon. The girl then looked at Eclipse who nodded at her before the silver-haired teen departed from the battlefield.

* * *

Niveus frowned in minor annoyance at the scene that was playing before his pair of eyes. The Pikachu surveyed his Trainer who was pacing from one end of waiting room to the other, mumbling incomprehensible words in an attempt to soothe the butterflies in his stomach. Actually, Niveus could hear those words perfectly thanks to him having a more sensitive sense of hearing than Ash but the Mouse Pokemon thought that the black-haired human sounded so pathetic that he somehow managed to tune out Ash's mumbling. He achieved this by focusing all his thoughts on a certain silver-eyed Pokemon.

_"Would you just calm down, Ash?" _Niveus voiced out his thoughts in a tired tone. _"Pacing around like that won't exactly cool down your nerves."_

Ash halted his unnecessary movements and glanced at Niveus. "I know that," he affirmed, "but sitting down doesn't exactly help with getting rid of the jitters, at least in my case. This is gonna be my debut in a world-level tournament so you can't blame me if I'm feeling a little nervous."

_"I can't see the reason behind your uneasiness," _Niveus told Ash truthfully. _"You've been in this situation before, Ash. I can understand if this is to be your first ever tournament but you've competed in four regional tournaments. What makes this tournament different from the rest?"_

"I don't know," Ash sighed as he sat down on the floor beside his yellow-furred companion. "It's just..., I never expected myself to qualify for a tournament of this calibre. I always saw myself as just a good Trainer despite all my ramblings on how I'm gonna become the greatest Pokemon Master of all time. I suppose... I needed something to lean against, you know, to keep me going. When I received that invitation letter, I was so happy. Yet, I felt scared as well. What if the occasion proves too much for me to handle and I choke in the middle of the match?" Ash paused and looked at his hands which were trembling. "If that happens, then I would be letting a lot of people down especially my mom and my friends, be they human or Pokemon."

Having heard Ash's explanation, Niveus processed the information in his head before standing up. Placing his paws behind his head, he adopted a cheerful tone and advised, _"Well, I think you should just keep faith."_

"Faith?" Ash repeated, sceptical of Niveus's suggestion.

_"Uh-huh,"_ Niveus reiterated. _"We believe in you, Ash. That's why I chose to save you from that flock of Spearow. That's why Charizard decided to obey you. That's why we all follow you. Whether you win or lose, you can trust us to always be by your side."_ The Pikachu added, _"At least until we die, of course."_

Ash smiled faintly and patted Niveus's head. "If it wasn't for that last sentence, I'd say that you would make a great motivational speaker," he joked. "Still, I feel a little better. Thanks, Niveus."

Niveus shrugged, "You can't blame me for tryin' to be realistic. Oh, and you're welcome."

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. "Can I come in, Ash?" a familiar voice requested politely.

"Sure," Ash granted the owner of the voice his permission. "Come on in, Dawn."

***CLICK***

Dawn stepped inside the room and carefully closed the door behind her. She adjusted the black beanie on her head and allowed a charming smile to occupy her featured. "Morning, Ash," she greeted him.

"Good morning," Ash returned Dawn's greeting. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the stands?"

The blue-haired girl shot him a quizzical look. "Can't I wish my mentor and close friend luck in his upcoming match?" she inquired in a teasing tone.

"Hehehe," Ash chuckled pathetically as he scratched his head. "That's one reason, I guess."

"Anyway, are you psyched for your upcoming match?" Dawn asked him earnestly.

"Well...," Ash began hesitantly, "I guess so. I've beaten Jeanette before so I should have an idea on how to approach her but our last and only encounter was about five to six years ago. Plus, I haven't heard from her since so she must've taught her Pokemon some new tricks. I got careless last time by underestimating her Bellsprout and allowed her to claw back from 2-0 down. I'd rather not have that happen again."

Dawn listened to her friend's uncharacteristically long response and offered, "But you've matured and grown stronger since then. Based on what Cilan told me, you should encounter no problems in this match."

Ash pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. "There's a thin line between confidence and overconfidence, Dawn," Ash said. "Battles are unpredictable so I can't afford to think about the outcome of the match. I have to focus on taking down each of Jeanette's Pokemon one by one."

"Wow, Ash," she breathed, surprised by his new attitude. "I really did not expect you to gain a philosophical outlook about Pokemon battles. You're usually very pumped up and confident that you can beat almost anybody. I've gotta admit though, I kinda miss the 'old' Ash."

The brown-eyed boy smiled at his blue-haired companion. "No need to worry, Dawn," Ash assured her by using the girl's favourite catchphrase. He placed a hand over his heart and stated, "The 'old' Ash is still here. He's just allowing the 'new' Ash to get used to his new home."

Dawn gave Ash a half-lidded stare. She questioned, "Am I supposed to find that reassuring or were you just joking?"

Ash chuckled faintly. "That's for you to decide," Ash replied. "Whether you like it or not, this is a change you have to accept."

Dawn motioned with her hands as she responded, "It'll take some getting used to but it's a small matter, Ash. As long as you don't become all Paul-like, then I'm fine with this change."

"Thanks-a-million, Dawn."

The digital clock on the wall suddenly dinged eight o'clock, granting Ash the green light to head over to the arena.

"Well, guess we better get going," Ash informed his travelling companion from Sinnoh as Niveus clambered up his back and perched himself on his right shoulder. He then walked past Dawn towards the door.

"Hold on, Ash," Dawn spoke up. When Ash turned around to face her, she produced a teardrop necklace from her back and looped it around Ash neck. She chuckled slightly when she caused of the red tint across the sixteen-year-old's cheeks.

"Umm..., what's this?" Ash asked innocently as he fingered the sapphire, teardrop-shaped crystal at the end of the necklace.

Dawn gave Ash an amused glance and answered, "It's a teardrop necklace, silly. When you think that the nerves are getting the better of you, just grasp that necklace and let your mind wander away from the battle for a moment. I guarantee you that the nerves will go away almost instantly." Taking out another teardrop necklace that had an amethyst crystal attached at the end of it, she added, "My mom taught me this trick just before I went to Johto and as a result, I won five straight Pokemon Contests in a row. That's why I have a lot of time on my hands."

Ash raised an eyebrow at Dawn. "How do you know that this trick will work on me?" he questioned sceptically.

The blue-eyed girl seemed to expect Ash's question as she immediately replied, "I knew you wouldn't believe it at first. That teardrop-shaped crystal is actually crystallized from the water in Lake Valor."

"Lake Valor?" Ash echoed. "...Oh, I get it."

Dawn nodded. "Yup. Since Azelf forged a bond with you, I think that that necklace should be compatible with you."

Grasping the teardrop-shaped crystal in his palm, Ash noticed that the nervousness he was feeling prior to Dawn's arrival was slowly ebbing away and his muscles began to loosen up considerably. "I'm starting to feel its effects," Ash told Dawn. "Thanks again, Dawn."

"Don't mention it," Dawn responded. "Before you go, I have one more gift for you."

Ash tilted his head in interest. "And that would be...?"

"This." Dawn suddenly ventured forward and gave Ash a hug, not a passionate one but simply the type of hug you give to your friends. When she detached herself from the hug, she could not help but snicker at Ash who was at a lost for words. Another reason was that she could see the blush across his cheeks. She gave him a sly look and teased, "Oh my Arceus, Ash Ketchum. Don't tell me that your body is actually receptive to my 'friendly' gestures. Hmm..., maybe you thought them to be 'intimate' gestures, didn't you?"

Ash was left speechless at Dawn's sudden boldness and did the only thing a person who just started noticing the opposite sex would do, he ran. The black-haired boy pulled open the door, stepped outside of the waiting room and slammed the door close. He placed a hand over his heart and straight away noticed that the organ was beating at a rapid pace.

"Damn this body," Ash cursed silently. "Why can't it act normally around Dawn like it did a year ago?"

_"Earth to Ash," _Niveus spoke up as he flicked Ash's forehead. _"Unless you don't mind getting disqualified, I suggest you pick up the pace."_

The Pikachu's Trainer was immediately jarred from his thoughts. "Oh..., sorry," he apologized sheepishly. Ash took a couple of deep breaths and waited until his heartbeat slowed down considerably. He then adjusted his cap before he proceeded to walk towards the battlefield.

Niveus looked at his Trainer and noticed that the blush on his face was almost gone. _"Hmm..., can't have that now, can we?" _he whispered silently to himself. The Mouse Pokemon suddenly began to snicker in a barely audible tone, hoping to catch his Trainer's attention. He inwardly grinned when Ash turned his neck to look at him.

When Ash queried him as to why the Mouse Pokemon was snickering, Niveus slyly answered, _"It's nothing. I think it was nice of Dawn to give you that necklace. Now all you have to do is to give her something in return and sooner or later, you both will be on first base."_

"W-What d-does that m-mean?" Ash stammered as the blush on his featured intensified tenfold.

_"You **know**," _Niveus whispered teasingly, putting emphasis on the second word, _"when you rub Dawn's tongue with yours. Doesn't that turn you on?"_

"Shut up, you good-for-nothing mouse!" Ash yelled at the Pikachu out of sheer embarrassment.

Niveus was unfazed by the reprimand given to him by a very annoyed Ash as the Mouse Pokemon continued to allow soft giggles to escape through his lips.

* * *

"Has the match started yet?" Dawn asked, skillfully manoeuvring her lithe body through the small gap between two rows of seats and sitting down next to Cilan.

"No, not yet," Chris said dismissively, slightly annoyed that Cilan and Max were separating him and Dawn by sitting in between them. He was also quite bothered by the fact that he had not been spending some quality time with the blue-haired babe. With him busy training his Pokemon and researching his opponents ten times as thorough, he simply could not find time to fit Dawn into his schedule. On those rare occasions that he could, he was disappointed to learn that she was busy spending time with Ash. He did not approve of Ash stealing her from him but after some thought, he came to the conclusion that Dawn just wanted to catch up with the brown-eyed Trainer. After all, Ash did help her when she was taking her first baby steps into the Pokemon world. In a way, Ash influenced his meeting with Dawn so the black-haired teen was still on Chris's 'friend' list..., for now at least.

"Thank Arceus," Dawn sighed in relief. "It seems that I've gotten much faster at sprinting." However, as she inspected her outfit, she grumbled, "Ugh, just look at my dress. It's matted with sweat."

Max, ignoring Dawn's rant, eagerly stated, "I can't wait to see Ash's Pokemon in action. His Snivy and Pikachu were simply amazing during that training session. If that training session was a reflection on how intense he trains his Pokemon, then I seriously better raise my game if I'm to beat him in the battle that he promised to give me."

Cilan chuckled merrily, slightly amused by the younger boy's bold statement. "Enthusiasm is good and all," he began, "but it would be in your best interest if you keep that copious amount of zeal in check. After all, you wouldn't want your Pokemon to be afflicted with Battle Exhaustion Syndrome."

"Hehe, I guess you're right about that," Max agreed with the co-Gym Leader of Striaton City.

A colossal roar suddenly reverberated throughout the stadium, causing the quartet to cease their banter and turn their attention to the boundary wall surrounding the battlefield. The metallic door on each side of the stadium slid open and revealed the Trainers who will kick-start the first match of Group XXXIII in Stadium 1 of the Yin region: Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum and Jeanette Fisher. Both of them stepped out into the arena and met at the centre circle located in the middle of the battlefield.

"Nice to see you again, Ash," Jeanette greeted. "How long has it been since we last saw each other? Five, maybe six years?"

"Somewhere along that line," Ash replied as he inclined his head a little in a show of respect. The black-haired teen then looked past his opponent before he commented, "No offence but your entrance doesn't seem as lively as the last time."

Jeannette chuckled faintly. "You mean my cheering squad?" she asked her opponent. Receiving a nod from said opponent, she simply said, "I ditched them a year after I lost to you at the Indigo Plateau Conference."

Ash wanted Jeanette to elaborate further but decided against it when he sensed the annoyed undertone in Jeanette's voice. Instead, he held out his hand and said, "Let's have a good match."

Jeanette shook Ash's hand and boldly claimed, "It's payback time."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Ash shot back confidently.

The Trainers allowed their gaze to linger on the other for a while longer before they turned around and retreated back towards their assigned boxes: Ash went to the yellow box while his opponent, Jeanette, went to the blue box.

After the Trainers' images flashed into existence on the screen atop the stadium, a wheel which consisted of blue and yellow segments appeared in the middle screen. A blue segment promptly lit up and the light was passed on to the other segments for about ten seconds before it stopped on a yellow segment.

"There you have it, ladies and gentleman!" the commentator stated loudly. "Ash Ketchum will have the virtue of sending out his Pokemon first! Whether this circumstance shall prove to be a disadvantage for the young prodigy from Pallet Town remains to be seen!" He added, "It won't really matter as we will find out the answer to this question in a moment!"

"Trainers, send out your first Pokemon!" the female referee directed.

Feeling the nerves again, Ash took off his cap and ruffled his hair before placing the headgear back on his head. He glanced down at Niveus, receiving a nod of assurance from the Mouse Pokemon. He nodded back at his partner-in-crime and grabbed a Poke Ball, enlarging it in the process. The black-haired teen than glanced at his opponent who was standing on the other side of the battlefield with a determined expression plastered on his face.

"Unfezant, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he flung the containment device into the air with all his might. Unfezant expelled a croon of delight upon being released from the Poke Ball. The absence of a featherless 'mask' and the lack of pink, ribbon-like wattles confirmed Unfezant's gender to be female.

"Ash has chosen to start things off with an Unfezant!" the emcee declared as the Proud Pokemon's icon was displayed in an empty slot below Ash's image on the giant screen.

Without delay, Jeanette pulled out a Poke Ball from the sleeve of her kimono. "Emolga, front and centre!" she exclaimed as she released the Sky Squirrel Pokemon.

"Jeanette counters by sending out an Emolga which inadvertently means that the advantage goes to the Trainer hailing from Crimson City!" the emcee announced. Up on the screen, an empty slot below Jeanette's profile shot lit up before Jeanette's Emolga's image was inserted into the aforementioned slot.

The referee held up the blue and yellow flags in her hands and spoke out, "Are both sides ready?"

"Ready!" Ash stated energetically.

Ash's purple-haired adversary decided upon a reserved approach as she merely nodded at the referee.

"Then let the match..., begin!" the female official exclaimed as she brought down the flags in one swift motion.

"Judging from my past experience with Iris's Emolga, their primary ability is Static while their hidden ability is Motor Drive," Ash listed the facts in his head. "I think I can afford to look past the hidden ability because Unfezant doesn't know any Electric-based attacks. Guess mid to long-ranged attacks are the way to go then."

Jeanette saw that her opponent was preoccupied with his thoughts so she chose to capitalize on Ash's daydreaming. "Emolga, use Hidden Power," she commanded.

Emolga closed his eyes and began humming, his body becoming outlined in a green light a second later. The rodent-like Pokemon then transferred the energy into his hands and formed a green orb of energy. Taking aim at his target, he glided a bit to the right before he fired the orb at his opponent. At first glance, the orb of energy looked set to miss its target by a wide margin but it suddenly curved inwards due to the tremendous side-spin the green sphere possessed.

"Emolga's Hidden Power has materialized into a homing-type attack which appearance is similar to that of Energy Ball!" the emcee observed.

The emcee's voice, amplified by the giant speakers attached on each corner of the stadium, jarred Ash from his thoughts and brought him back to reality. "Razor Wind, Unfezant," Ash quickly yet calmly ordered.

Motor impulses were transmitted from Unfezant's brain to her left wing immediately after the Proud Pokemon received the command from Ash. She folded her left wing over her body before she swung it outwards and released a blade of wind towards the oncoming orb of energy.

The two Normal-based attacks slammed into each other and due to their similar power levels, they were both cancelled out with an explosion following their collision.

"What a way to start the match!" the emcee roared as a cloud of smoke concealed part of the sky.

"Unfezant, use Air Cutter," Ash called out.

Suddenly, a light blue 'X'-shaped energy shot out of the cloud of smoke and zeroed in on Emolga.

"Double Team" was the command that was expelled through Jeanette's bright and pink lips in an attempt to prevent Unfezant's attack from finding its mark.

The Sky Squirrel Pokemon swiftly created three copies of himself and formed a diamond formation. On paper, Emolga should have a seventy-five percent chance of avoiding Unfezant's Air Cutter but due to the immense size of the attack, most of the spectators gave Emolga a thirty percent of evading the attack at best. The 'X'-shaped energy struck three targets: one in the bottom and two in the middle of the formation. When the Emolga that were hit failed to produce a cry of pain, everyone knew that the real Emolga was safe.

"Whew, wasn't that a tense moment?" the emcee exhaled as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief which he conveniently kept in his pocket. "In any case, Unfezant better up its game because Emolga's evasion has been given an added boost!"

"Is that so?" Ash wondered. He, like any other Trainer, was confident of the capabilities of his Pokemon, even if they were in disadvantageous situations like the one Unfezant was in right now. However, commands that were capable of increasing a combatant's stats, albeit temporarily, could alter the battle significantly and sometimes it was better to adjust your strategy based on the current situation rather than stick to your guns.

After some thought, Ash decided, "Let's see how much better Emolga has gotten at dodging. Unfezant, ExtremeSpeed."

Unfezant promptly tucked her wings against her body and zoomed towards Emolga like a speeding bullet.

"Dodge and use Charge Beam," Jeanette countered.

Normally, it was close to impossible to avoid ExtremeSpeed but thanks to Emolga's heightened evasion, the Sky Squirrel Pokemon dodged the high priority move by gliding upwards, making Unfezant dart below him. He then held out his hands and formed another orb of energy which was similar to the previous sphere except this one was yellow in colour. A massive beam of electricity suddenly shot out of the orb towards Unfezant.

"Dodge it," Ash commanded.

The Proud Pokemon instinctively angled her body to the left and watched as the beam of electricity travelled past her and struck the ground.

"Ugh, so close," Jeanette lamented. "No matter. That Charge Beam didn't miss by much so sooner or later, Unfezant's luck will run out." She then instructed, "Emolga, give Unfezant a shock of her life with Discharge."

Emolga immediately began to charge up as per his Trainer's orders. Blue electricity started sparking off his entire body, particularly around his yellow cheeks. With a cry of determination, he released tons of light blue beams of electricity at his adversary.

Ash shouted, "Dart and weave around them, Unfezant!"

Hastily spreading out her wings, Unfezant flew around the stadium while dodging the beams of electricity emitting from her opponent. Though she considered herself to be an excellent flyer, Unfezant knew that she could not afford to let the pride go to her head because she was just barely avoiding the lightning bolts. If it were not for the fancy aerial manoeuvres that Skyla taught her for impressing the Gym Leader of Mistralton City, Unfezant would have probably been fried by now.

"Unfezant is displaying excellent acrobatic skills in dodging those lightning bolts!" the emcee praised. "However, how long can its luck hold out?"

The one-time winner of the Orange League saw the rationality behind the emcee's words. No matter how fast and flexible Unfezant was, she cannot keep dodging the beams of electricity forever. Sooner or later, she was bound to slip up and would be severely damage by the Electric-based attack. Ash knew that he must have Unfezant go on the offensive in order to turn the tables on Emolga. For that reason, Ash decided to cover his ears with his hands, his Pikachu following suit a second later.

"Unfezant, stun Emolga with Hyper Voice!" Ash yelled as he applied more pressure on his ears.

After dodging one more beam of electricity, Unfezant took a deep breath and let loose a horribly echoing shout. White shockwaves escaped from Unfezant's beak and enveloped their target, Emolga. Speaking of the Sky Squirrel Pokemon, he stopped his attack and tried to block out the sharp noise that was bombarding his eardrums but it was in vain as his hands were much smaller than his ears. Had he mastered the art of rolling his ears close which he saw many Minccino do back in Unova, then he could have at least lessen the damage done to his equilibrium.

"Emolga..., hang in there!" Jeanette hissed as she too felt the effects of Hyper Voice. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Jeanette's Pokemon slowly lifted his eyelids to get an image of his opponent but he could barely discern the exact position of Unfezant due to his hazy vision. Emolga squinted his eyes to improve his chances of locating Unfezant and succeeded when he caught sight of a bird-shaped silhouette. He swiftly channelled his aura to his cheeks and fired multiple yellow bolts of electricity at the Proud Pokemon.

Ash could not help but grin at himself. The battle was in the bag. He ordered, "Rocket upwards with ExtremeSpeed and strike Emolga with Sky Attack."

Unfezant avoided the rather badly-aimed lightning bolts with relative ease before she throttled higher into the sky and disappeared under the Sun. Almost instantly, she came diving back down towards Emolga with her body wreathed in white aura, a white streak trailing behind her as well. Due to the gravity's pull on her and the speed she gained from her earlier move, she slammed into her opponent with a force so great that in a split second, Emolga crashed into ground, sending dust up into the air.

"That was a powerful combo by Unfezant!" the emcee remarked. "Other than the Earth's gravity, that attack was further boosted by Unfezant's ability, Super Luck, which allows the user to inflict critical hits on the opponent twice as often as normal! Could Emolga have somehow survived that attack?"

The wind decided to lend a helping hand as it dispelled the dust particles away. Without the blanket of dust, everyone saw that Emolga was lying sprawled in a small crater, out like a light.

The female referee waited for a few moments to see if Emolga could get up. When the Sky Squirrel Pokemon did not, she raised the yellow flag and announced, "Emolga is unable to battle!" A second after the referee's declaration, Emolga's icon on the screen faded completely.

"Good work, Unfezant," Ash commended his Pokemon. "Let's keep the momentum flowing."

Unfezant was about to respond with a hymn of delight but instead gave out a cry of pain as sparks of electricity jolted around her feathered body.

"Ah, it looks as though Unfezant has been inflicted with Static!" the emcee realized. "This status ailment will greatly limit Unfezant's movement which is an essential part of her attacks!"

"Damn, I was careless," Ash cursed under his breath. "Can you keep going, Unfezant?"

The Proud Pokemon flapped her wings faster as if she were saying, _"Of course. A mere status ailment won't stop me."_

Ash nodded. "Okay then."

"Ash has decided to stick with Unfezant!" the emcee informed the crowd. "Question is, what Pokemon will be Unfezant's next opponent?"

"Return, Emolga," Jeanette said as she recalled the Sky Squirrel Pokemon back into his containment device. She glanced at the Poke Ball and appreciatively uttered, "Thanks for paralyzing Unfezant. You just take a nice rest and leave everything else up to your friends." She swiftly switched Emolga's Poke Ball with another one and lobbed it forwards. "Go, Swanna!"

Unfezant's Trainer frowned as he watched the White Bird Pokemon emerge from the Poke Ball that Jeanette lobbed. There was a majestic air about it. "Not that thing again," Ash grumbled as he recalled his previous encounter with a Swanna back in the Mistralton City Gym. Skyla's Swanna was pretty much the reason Skyla almost defeated Ash in their little bout. Luckily, Ash managed to build a two-win cushion over Skyla, thus making her Swanna too tired to finish the job.

Jeanette instructed, "Use Aerial Ace, Swanna."

The swan-like Pokemon quickly unfurled her wings and took off into the sky. She executed a loop in midair before darting towards Unfezant with her body surrounded in white streaks.

"Jeanette is taking the initiative by ordering her Swanna to use a very accurate attack!" the emcee narrated. "How will Ash and his Unfezant respond?"

Ash, taking Unfezant's slight paralysis into consideration, commanded, "Air Cutter, Unfezant."

The Proud Pokemon sent an 'X'-shaped energy towards Swanna effortlessly since the preparation of the attack did not demand much movement.

Response from Jeanette was swift as she ordered, "Cancel out your Aerial Ace, dodge and then use Scald."

Swanna stopped herself from continuing any further and, with a mighty flap of her broad wings, floated upwards, avoiding Unfezant's Air Cutter in the process. The White Bird Pokemon then opened her bill and fired a torrent of hot water at her opponent.

"Dodge it, Unfezant!" Ash called out.

Unfezant heard her Trainer and was about to move out of the way when the electric sparks came back with a vengeance. The Proud Pokemon could only watch as the hot and scalding torrent of water was inching closer to her while she was caught in a temporary state of paralysis. Once she regained control of her body, she hastily glided to the left but Swanna's Water-based attack still managed to splash against part of her right wing. Unfezant cried out her name in pain.

"Unfezant has finally taken some damage!" the emcee stated the obvious. He then muttered, "I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that attack, folks!"

Jeanette smirked. "Gotcha," she breathed excitedly. "Now use Pluck, Swanna."

Swanna heeded her Trainer's call as she surged forward and began to repeatedly jab Unfezant with her sharp bill, further damaging the Proud Pokemon.

The emcee observed, "Swanna is displaying no mercy to its handicapped opponent!"

"Stay strong, Unfezant!" Ash encouraged.

"Knock down Unfezant with Steel Wing," Jeanette commanded.

The White Bird Pokemon gave one last jab to Unfezant's check before moving on to the next attack. She spread her wings to her sides and began channelling some energy into them, making them gain a metallic sheen a moment later. Raising them up, she brought them down onto Unfezant in one swift motion, sending the latter hurtling towards the ground.

Ash quickly thought of a move to prevent Unfezant from attaining even more damage. "Use Gust on the ground to soften your landing!" he shouted.

The damage she suffered at the wings of Swanna was seriously affecting her perception of her surroundings but she could still make out the words Ash had uttered. She tiredly but determinedly altered the position of her body so that it was parallel to the ground. Then, she whipped up a gust of wind with a flap of her wings and directed it to the ground. The wind struck the ground and created a backward momentum that acted somewhat like a mattress. The speed of Unfezant's descent was slowed down to the point that the Proud Pokemon landed on the battlefield on her feet.

"Nice job, Unfezant," Ash cheered.

However, his joy was short-lived as electricity sparked off Unfezant's body, indicating that she was still suffering from the effects of the status ailment given to her by Emolga.

"That was some quick thinking by Ash!" the emcee remarked. "However, with Unfezant suffering from paralysis, he must find a way to end this battle quickly or risk allowing Jeanette to crawl back into the match!"

"In layman's terms, it means a one-hit knockout is as good a chance I get in winning this little bout," Ash said to himself. "Hmm..., maybe I don't need to win." He then called out, "Unfezant, your execution of these next moves will influence the result of this match. Are your ready?"

In response to her Trainer's question, Unfezant shook off the feeling of discomfort in her body and expelled a cry of determination.

"Alright then," Ash uttered seriously as he adjusted the cap on his head. "Get back up there."

Unfezant complied with her Trainer's command and took her place in the skies once again.

"I admire your Unfezant's tenacity, Ash," Jeanette admitted. "However, tenacity alone won't be enough to defeat Swanna especially when your Pokemon is partially paralyzed." The purple-haired girl took a deep breath before she commanded, "End this with Brave Bird!"

Swanna pulled in her wings and dived down towards Unfezant like a missile, her body bursting into flames in the process. As she spread out her wings, the flames around her body manifested into a blue cloak of aura.

"We'll just see about that, Jeanette," Ash countered. "Unfezant, use Tailwind."

The Proud Pokemon promptly stretched out her wings and began flapping them vigorously, creating a miniature tornado. Instead of launching it towards Swanna, Unfezant cocooned herself within it, the twister taking on the role of a barrier.

Jeanette's eyes widened in realization of Ash's plan. "Swanna, stop the attack!" she yelled desperately.

Unfortunately, Swanna could not really do as her Trainer commanded because she was going way to fast to halt her forward momentum. The White Bird Pokemon did the only think she could do; she closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. Her aura-cloaked body collided against the barrier-esque tornado which resulted in a larger-than-average explosion.

Everyone in the stadium were forced to shield their eyes from the intense light preceding the explosion. When the light died down, they remove whatever appendage they used to cover their eyes, be it their hands or arms, and surveyed the sky which was covered in a pitch-black smog. When the smog cleared away, everyone could see the repercussions of the explosion on the Pokemon. Actually, 'one of the Pokemon' would be a more accurate observation. Said Pokemon in question was Swanna. Her once pristine, white feathers were now smudged with soot and dust from the explosion. There were a few bruises and burn marks on her body but none were too severe thanks to the cloak of blue aura cocooning her earlier.

"Talk about turning defence into offence!" the emcee exclaimed. "The tornado surrounding Unfezant absorbed the impact from Swanna's Brave Bird and rebounded it back to the White Bird Pokemon! We can clearly Swanna which is slightly worse for wear following that collision but where is Unfezant?"

"Come on, Ash!" Jeanette urged him impatiently. "Stop ordering your Unfezant to hide! Make her face Swanna head-on instead of using the hit-and-run tactic!" She then questioned, "What happened to that Trainer I faced five or six years ago?"

Ash's left eye twitched a little. "I'm gettin' a little sick of that question," he grumbled. "You want him? Fine then." With sudden enthusiasm, Ash ordered, "Facade, Unfezant!"

The once absent Proud Pokemon suddenly reappeared above Swanna with white electricity sparkling around her feathered body. Giving out an exuberant croon, Unfezant rammed into Swanna full force. The electricity bound their bodies together as they were on a direct collision course with the battlefield.

What Ash did next was extremely unexpected. Instead of commanding of Unfezant to abandon the attack like most of spectators thought he would, he instructed, "Increase the impact with ExtremeSpeed!"

Their descent towards the ground was evidently quickened after Ash gave the command. Unfezant assumed a streamline-like posture which decreased the air resistance acting upon her body, thus increasing the speed at which both the Proud Pokemon and her opponent were plummeting down to the battlefield.

"Swanna, encompass yourself in Aqua Ring!" Jeanette called out in desperation.

Jeanette's Pokemon quickly covered herself in a veil of water, not because she heard her Trainer but out of pure instinct. Given her disadvantageous position, she knew that the probability of her launching a counterattack was very slim so Swanna decided to use the only defensive move in her repertoire of attacks to lessen the harm that shall be inflicted upon her body.

Dust blanketed the two aerial-type combatants as they crashed into the ground. The velocity of the collision was so great that chunks of rock were sent flying into the stands, forcing some of the spectators to push and shove against each other to avoid getting hit by the projectiles.

"The speed at which they came into contact with the ground was astonishing!" the emcee observed. "Let us witness the aftermath of that collision, shall we?"

The crowd surveyed the thinning cloud of dust in the middle of the battlefield. Slowly, they could make out two silhouettes in the dust cloud. It was promptly blown away by the passing wind, revealing the fighters who, despite the huge amount of bruises marring their bodies, were still standing, albeit weakly. They stared down the other as they struggled to remain on their feet. Unfortunately, their determination failed to produce results as their remaining strength was exhausted, leaving them little choice but to surrender to darkness.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle," the referee declared as she raised both the blue and yellow flags.

***PING* *PING*  
**

"That was a well though out chain of attacks from Ash!" the emcee stated as the icons of the fainted Pokemon were removed from the screen. "He first ordered his Unfezant to use Tailwind which took Unfezant's speed up a notch while at the same time shielded it from harm. Next, he chained Tailwind with Facade which strength doubles if the user is afflicted with a status ailment. In this case, Unfezant was suffering from paralysis. For an added sense of assurance, he directed Unfezant to use ExtremeSpeed to make sure that Swanna could not get away due to the massive air pressure surrounding the two Pokemon." He paused for a moment to allow the crowd to digest the information before he resumed, "Though the battle ended in a draw, I think that Ash has gained the moral victory, simply because he only ordered Unfezant to attack near the climax of that battle. Jeanette must surely be shaken up by the result."

A rueful expression was plastered on Jeanette's features as she returned her downed Pokemon. "I didn't expect you to have a ruthless side," she bemoaned.

Ash shrugged and offered, "We've only clashed just once. I'm sorry but judging my personality based on that single encounter is a little naive."

"I guess you're right about that," Jeanette admitted as she chuckled in a sheepish yet dignified manner. She then exclaimed, "This is my last stand! Are you ready, Ash?"

Ash grinned competitively. "Bring it on then."

* * *

Dawn frowned a little as she watched Ash recall his Unfezant. "Hmm..., his battle style seems to have changed a bit as well," she mused. "There was a chance that the paralysis would stop Unfezant from using Facade and expose her to more harm from Jeanette's Swanna. Also, I think that that ExtremeSpeed was simply overkill and placed unnecessary strain on Unfezant's body. I can't help but be a bit worried for the rest of Ash's Pokemon."

The tallest of the quartet saw his chance to make Dawn see him in a more favourable light. "I think so too," he eagerly concurred with the object of his affection. "The dude really needs to chill out. It's only the group stages and already he's takin' some risks. If he keeps this up, he probably won't last long in this tournament. If he does exceed my expectations, let's hope his Pokemon won't kill him."

"Why don't you go take a good look of yourself in a mirror?" Max grumbled. "You and I both know that the only reason you're agreeing with Dawn is becau-"

The bespectacled boy was prevented from speaking any further as Chris clasped his hands over Max's mouth. Due to the massive size of his hands, he also covered Max's nose, making the younger boy flail his arms wildly in a desperate attempt to remove the appendages that were slowly asphyxiating him.

Cilan swung his right leg over his other one and leaned back into his seat. "To put it simply, you are worried that the stress of the tournament will start to affect how he trains his Pokemon," he guessed knowingly. "You're concerned that he will push his Pokemon to their absolute limits without any regard for their health like this 'Paul' person you told me about."

"...Well, yeah," Dawn hesitantly answered. "It's not that I don't have faith in him but sometimes he gets a bit too caught in situations where it would close to impossible to administer an intervention."

"I see," Cilan said laconically. "Tell me something, Dawn. Do you know how Cynthia, Wallace and Lance attained their 'Champion' status?"

"Erm, hard work and natural talent," Dawn answered randomly.

The green-haired Pokemon Connoisseur stifled a chuckle. "I don't know about natural talent," he said, "but you are correct on the hard work part. In your perspective, what is the definition of 'hard work'?"

Dawn receded into her thoughts for a moment before she replied, "Um..., I train my Pokemon hard for the upcoming Pokemon Contests but not to the extent that their bodies will be aching the next day. I also make sure I spend an equal amount of time with each of my Pokemon so that they don't think that they are simply tools."

"That's a nice way of defining the term," Cilan began, "if you are Pokemon Coordinator. No offence but if a Pokemon Trainer lived by your philosophy, the title of 'Champion' shall forever be but a fleeting dream."

The blue-haired girl was taken aback by Cilan's swift rebuttal and retorted, "So you think Ash should train his Pokemon until they drop dead?"

"No," Cilan denied. "The reason why the Champions got to where they are now was that they were not afraid to really push their Pokemon even when they are on the brink of exhaustion. This way of training may be interpreted in two ways. It's either that they train their Pokemon harshly or they have a great deal of trust in their Pokemon. If a Pokemon and a Trainer are compatible, then the former will sense the feeling of trust within the Trainer and attained a certain strength that shall allow said Pokemon to push beyond the barriers of fatigue and exhaustion." Ignoring the gagging sounds coming from Max, Cilan continued, "Like humans, there are many different types of Pokemon in terms of personality. There are those which want the Trainer to respect their limitations just as they are those which want the Trainer to push them to the very brink. Ash's team is made up of both types of Pokemon so if he can somehow manage them without second-guessing himself, then he's bound to become a far better and stronger Trainer than what he expected."

Even after hearing Cilan's speech, Dawn remained unconvinced. "But still-," she trailed off.

Cilan cut her off, "Just have faith in him. Every Pokemon in Ash's team are compatible with him." He then bragged, "As an A-class Pokemon Connoisseur, I am fully confident in my diagnosis of the bond between Ash and his team of Pokemon."

"Okay then," Dawn conceded and turned her attention back to the match, Cilan following suit a second later.

Max would have done so a long time ago but the low oxygen content in his small body was making him very queasy and dizzy. In a desperate attempt to get back the precious gas that sustained his life, he stuck out his tongue and licked Chris's hands, concentrating mostly on the metacarpus of each hand.

"Damn it, that's gross!" Chris admonished as he pulled back his hands and wiped them on his jeans.

"Air!" Max gasped. "Sweet, sweet air!"

* * *

"Good job, Unfezant," he complimented the Proud Pokemon who was resting in her Poke Ball. After clipping said Poke Ball back onto his belt, Ash pondered on his next move. He had a choice between the Pokemon in the other, somewhat worn out Poke Ball attached on his belt or Niveus. He chose the first option without much thought. He had not used the Pokemon for a while anyway.

"Bulbasaur, let's go!" Ash hollered as he tossed the Poke Ball and released one of the prominent members of his team.

Jeanette stared blankly at the Seed Pokemon before she casually commented, "Looks like you haven't evolved your Bulbasaur yet."

"He chose not to evolve," Ash told Jeanette. "I won't force him to undergo evolution if it is against his wishes."

Jeanette nodded in comprehension as she took out a Poke Ball from inside the sleeve of her green robe. "Unlike Bulbasaur, this one embraced evolution!" she stated. "It's all you, Scizor!"

The Pincer Pokemon emerged from his Poke Ball and landed on the other half of the battlefield. Once he realized that his opponent was the very same Bulbasaur that defeated him in their last encounter, he glared hard at the Seed Pokemon and gave out a buzz of anger.

_"So we meet again," _Scizor buzzed determinedly. _"Prepare yourself! I shall avenge that defeat I suffered in your paws!"_

Bulbasaur did not really show any outward reaction to Scizor's bold declaration as he simply stared at the Pincer Pokemon. Normally, he would display eagerness to battle but years of acting as a mediator at Professor Oak's lab taught him how to suppress his emotions. _"I'm sorry but have we met before?" _he queried in a flat tone.

Scizor did a double take. _"How dare you?" _he scorned. _"Have I been completely purged from your memory?"_

_"I admit that I do have talents but a photographic memory, that I do not have," _Bulbasaur reiterated. _"Let's battle already. The longer I stay here, the greater the mayhem that shall greet me when I'm sent back."_

_"You shall pay for addressing me with that flat tone!" _Scizor declared.

The emcee exclaimed, "For this battle, Jeanette's Scizor will be facing off against Ash's Bulbasaur! It should be noted that Ash's Bulbasaur defeated a Scyther during the last encounter between these two Trainers!" He added, "I'm willing to bet one hundred Pokedollars that this Scizor was that Scyther which lost to Bulbasaur!"

"Scizor, use Flash Cannon!" Jeanette ordered swiftly.

The Pincer Pokemon held out both his pincers towards Bulbasaur and channelled his aura to the them. A silver glow encompassed the pincers a moment later. Very slowly, he opened them and fired two beams of silver energy at his opponent.

"Jeanette is taking the initiative by having her Scizor use a damaging Steel-based attack!" the emcee narrated.

Ash countered, "Bulbasaur, protect yourself with Magical Leaf."

Bulbasaur nodded and closed his eyes. He released glowing, razor-sharp leaves from under his bulb into the sky. Utilizing his average mental powers, he made the glowing leaves swirl around him. The leaves began to pick up speed as they formed a protective barrier around their progenitor.

As soon as the silver beams of energy came into contact with the Grass-based barrier, they were taken along for the ride and spun around Bulbasaur as well. They swirled around the Grass-type Pokemon one more time before they were evicted from the barrier and launched back at Scizor.

"Ah, Scizor's attack is being sent back towards it!" the emcee stated excitedly.

Scizor's Trainer's reaction time was swift as she commanded, "Dodge and use Bullet Punch."

The part Bug, part Steel-type beat his wings and took to the skies, avoiding the two silver beams in the process. Crossing his arms over his chest, he concentrated his energy into them and made them glow bright red. Setting his sights on his prey, he dived towards said prey, intent on inflicting harm upon the prey's body.

"Bulbasaur, cancel that barrier and standby for any command," Ash instructed.

The Seed Pokemon effortlessly dispelled the leaves protecting him and sat down on his haunches. Though it may seem that he was in a relaxed state, Bulbasaur kept his muscles warm by through a simple breathing exercise he learned not too long ago.

Jeanette suddenly directed, "Hit-and-run with ExtremeSpeed!"

Scizor gained an added boost of speed and propelled forwards until a mere five inches were separating him and Bulbasaur. He raised an arm and swung it at Bulbasaur, nailing the former on the head and sending the Seed Pokemon sliding backwards. The Pincer Pokemon then disappeared and struck Bulbasaur's side, causing Bulbasaur to topple on his side. Scizor repeated the sequence without any mercy for his opponent, pummeling the Seed Pokemon relentlessly with his attacks augmented by his primary ability.

"Scizor is mercilessly assailing Bulbasaur with fast and powerful blows!" the emcee blared out. He paused for a moment to check Scizor's data on the laptop on the commentator table. He read aloud, "It would seem that Scizor's ability is Technician. For attacks which base power are below 60, their base power are increased by one hundred and fifty percent. Since Bullet Punch has a base power of 40, that means Bulbasaur is suffering twice as much of the original damage that would be inflicted upon it!"

"Keep it up, Scizor!" Jeanette cheered. "This battle is almost ours."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Ash said determinedly. "Bulbasaur, pull yourself together and use Grass Pledge!"

Ash's Grass-type Pokemon swiftly recovered from another one of Scizor's brutal strikes and composed himself. He noticed that his opponent had disappeared once again so he closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings. Bulbasaur tuned out the roar of the crowd and simply focused on determining Scizor's exact location. A buzzing noise suddenly stimulated his sense of hearing as he hastily channelled his aura into the ground via his feet, causing large columns of grass to erupt from the ground.

Bulbasaur's opponent was just about to hit him with glowing arms when he suddenly found his path obstructed by a column of grass. The Pincer Pokemon began beating wings to halt his advance. The moment he stopped, the column of grass dissipated to reveal Bulbasaur who had his vines out.

"Uh-oh," Jeanette mouthed nervously.

In complete contrast, a devious grin stretched across Ash's features. "Time for some payback, Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted. "Use Power Whip!"

Bulbasaur jumped into the air slightly and began to violently whirl his vines to harshly lash Scizor.

***SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP*  
**

"**Ouch**," the emcee uttered in a sympathetic tone. "Those are bound to leave scars."

After giving Scizor a few more whips, Bulbasaur moved his vines backwards before he thrust them directly on the Pincer Pokemon's forehead, pushing his opponent away from him, on his back no less. In addition to the violent flogging session Bulbasaur had just given the Pincer Pokemon, his back was bound to hurt a little due to the friction with the ground.

"Scizor, are you okay?" Jeanette asked worriedly.

In response to his Trainer's question, Scizor buzzed in a defiant tone and shakily got back up onto his feet.

"Scizor is back on its feet!" the emcee exclaimed as the crowd cheered the Pincer Pokemon. "What resolve!"

Jeanette took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "You'll keep on fighting up until the very end, huh?" she said in a proud tone. "Okay then. Let's do it."

Giving his Trainer a nod, Scizor settled back into his fighting stance.

"Scizor, use Quick Attack!" she ordered zealously.

Tiredly but determinedly, Scizor launched into the air before diving back towards the ground. Just when it looked as though he was going to crash, he pulled up slightly so that he flew low to the ground. There was a white streak trailing behind the Pincer Pokemon as he closed the distance between him and Bulbasaur.

Ash decided to save Scizor from all the trouble of crossing the entire length of the battlefield just to get to Bulbasaur. The black-haired teen pointed a finger at the Pincer Pokemon and instructed, "Go, Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur complied with his Trainer's instruction as he broke off into a fast sprint towards Scizor.

"Oh, Ash is ordering Bulbasaur to charge towards Scizor," the emcee observed. "What plan does this young Trainer from Pallet Town have in mind this time?"

"Scizor, X-Scissor!" Jeanette called out.

The Pincer Pokemon made his pincers glow light blue before he crossed them in front of his body. As he did it, a purple 'X'-like energy appeared in front of said pincers as he edged closer to his opponent.

"Wait for it," Ash whispered. Once he discerned that Bulbasaur was close enough, Ash shouted, "Vine Whip on the ground!"

The Seed Pokemon jumped forwards while bringing out two vines. He pulled them back before slamming them on the ground, using them to launch himself higher into the air. He spun over Scizor with his bulb aimed at the Pincer Pokemon.

Seeing that Bulbasaur was in position, Ash thrust our a clenched fist and commanded, "Seed Bomb!"

Jeanette's eyes widened in anxiety. "Scizor, get out of there!" she hollered.

Unfortunately for the Trainer hailing from Crimson City, she was too late as Scizor was slammed into the ground by a barrage of white orbs fired from Bulbasaur's bulb. To make matters worse, the white orbs exploded upon impact with Scizor's back, completely enshrouding the Pincer Pokemon in black smoke.

"Scizor, no!" Jeanette yelled out in concern.

"Direct hit!" the emcee bellowed. "That was a strong-looking Seed Bomb from Bulbasaur! Surely the match has come to an end!"

Speaking of Bulbasaur, he spun forwards one more time and landed on his four feet. He took a few deep breaths to correct his equilibrium. Though it was only a simple reverse back-flip, acrobatics were not his forte. Shaking his head, he surveyed the cloud of smoke behind him which dispersed to reveal his opponent who was fighting to stay conscious. However, Scizor's resolve could only get him so far as he finally slipped into a state of temporary slumber.

"Scizor is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The winner with a score of 3-1 is Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

The majority of the audience stood up from the seats and applauded the victorious black-haired Trainer. Their cheers went up another notch as Ash's image was expanded to cover the entire screen. The word 'WINNER' flashed periodically below said image.

Ash held up his hand, balled it into a fist and swiftly brought it down. "Yes!" he cheered.

* * *

**D.O.N.E.**

**The battles were such a pain to write so I'll be treating you guys to some fillers after this.**

** I don't know when I'll update due to my university days starting but I hope you can bear with me.**

**Eclipse Silverline belongs to KingFatMan25.**

**Seth Trodaire belongs to Sol21.**

**Annalyn 'May' Moonwell belongs to OnewingedAngel118.**

**Chris Moore belongs to The Fan Fiction Writer.**

**Remember to REVIEW.**

**Onegai shimasu and arigatou.  
**


	9. Chapter VIII : Xander's 'Business'

**Sorry for the delay. University and stuff.**

**Welcome to the first filler of this fic. **

**Enjoy.  
**

**WARNING: THERE ARE HINTS OF GORE AND SADISM IN THIS CHAPTER. ONE OF THE SCENES MAY BE CONSIDERED M-RATED BUT I'M NOT TOO SURE.**

* * *

One of the most cliche remarks that visitors might hear from the residents of Caelum City would be about the greenery surrounding the magnificent city: Caelum Forest. The majority of the residents would drone on and on about the beauty and radiance of the forest. They would say that the diversity of wildlife was simply astounding and the utter artistry of the flora was beyond words. These people only cared about outer appearances and pretty much could care less about what lied within. Why bother when the former offered them and their city recognition and a platform to boost the tourism industry? Ignorance was indeed bliss, at least for the majority of these humans.

There were those who knew better than their ignorant kin since they bothered to waste a little of their precious time to actually listen and observe. They learnt that the inhabitants of Caelum Forest are bound by one rule and one rule only: survival of the fittest. The strong shall live and the weak shall die. The way the inhabitants of the forest go about their daily lives was influenced by this rule and philosophy. If the prey cannot endure the harsh reality of life, then their life shall be forfeit with the predator taking on the role of liberator.

One such predator, though not native to Caelum Forest, had been actively liberating the weak from their, in his opinion, pitiful lives ever since he set foot in the massive forest. Those who were acquainted with the predator in question do not comprehend whether he carried out these killings to curb his physical hunger or simply to sate his darkest desires. Either way, they chose not to interfere, the reasons varied amongst them. However, if one were to select a core reason, it would be that their Trainer championed the philosophy of equivalent exchange, meaning that if one does not have a request, then people... or Pokemon in this case, should abstain from providing any sort of service to that specific soul.

Said soul, who went by the name of Xander, was currently cleaning the blood of his latest victim off his most prized appendages: his sharp claws. He soaked the claws in a small stream and watched as the red, sticky liquid was washed away by the slow current. The Illusion Fox Pokemon stood up from his half-crouching position and flicked his wrists, dispelling the water droplets that hung on the tips. He then inspected them, slightly dissatisfied that he had not gotten rid of all the evidence. There was little reason for him to be concerned however, as the Zoroark simply licked his claws clean.

_"Nothing special, just bland," _Xander commented on the taste of the blood that lingered on his taste buds. _"Sweet-tasting blood sure is hard to come by these days." _The Illusion Fox Pokemon found his gaze wandering upwards to the sky. _"I know that there's little chance my prayer being answered, considering all the horrid acts I've committed, but I hope that you would be willing to overlook my past misdeeds and bless me, just enough so that I may encounter one with pure blood."_

Silence descended upon the area. It was as if the stream stopped flowing, the wind died down and the Pokemon inhabiting the forest lost their ability to speak. Suddenly, a demented laugh pervaded the area.

_"What am I saying?" _Xander snickered as he lightly scratched his snout. _"As if Arceus would lead one of his creations towards its own demise. Hmph, I sure do crack myself up at times. In any case, I believe it is time for my daily memory examination."_

Like his Trainer, Xander had no recollection of his past. When he dived into his mind for the first time, he realized that the first memory he recalled back when he was a Zorua was the memory of him crossing paths with Aqua, the foul-mouthed member of the team who brought him to Seishirou. Moreover, every time he tried searching for memories relating to his parents and childhood, all he encountered were blank voids. According to Seishirou, the memories were there but they were simply locked deep within the recesses of his mind. That was the main reason why he persisted with the daily ritual, despite a small part of him knowing that it was futile no matter how hard he tried.

Situating himself on a large and thick branch of an oak tree, he leaned against the tree trunk, raised and bent a leg on the branch while dangling the other one slightly over the edge and withdrew into his mind.

* * *

_"My M- ... to... m... no... t... str..."_

_"You... ve... b... ma..."_

_"Ple... w... u..., M-"_

_"He... pay. I'll k... him."_

_"D... tr...to st... me. I'm go... gouge o... hi... eyes and rip o... h... flesh!"_

* * *

A slight frown adorned Xander's features as he returned to reality._ "Another fruitless attempt," _he sighed. _"Oh well, there's always tomorrow." _He chanced a look at the sky through the tree's dense leaves to ascertain the position of the Sun._ "The day's almost over. I better hurry back as I'd much rather not be on the receiving end of a snide reprimand from Caedes or worse, a boring lecture from Shinobu. I swear, I'd rather kill myself than allow my ears to pick up that flat and phlegmatic tone of his."_

Xander promptly shifted his sitting position so that both legs dangled over the edge of the tree branch before he leaned forward into gravity's embrace. He landed on the ground with his legs slightly bent to lessen the impulsive force inflicted upon them, not that it would make that much of difference. Back home, there was a flight of steps, 750 steps to be exact, that served as a bridge from Seishirou's house atop the mountain to Castelia City. To be more precise, after you get to the bottom of the mountain via those steps, a two-kilometre walk shall be the only obstacle left to overcome in order to reach civilization but that's beside the point. Xander would always allocate some time every day just to climb up and down those steps, when no one's watching of course. As a result, the muscles in his thighs were much stronger than most of his teammates', save for the training freaks.

The Illusion Fox Pokemon dusted off some imaginary dust from his shoulder and began making his way back towards his Trainer's shop a.k.a his Trainer's residence a.k.a his Trainer's base of operations. Seishirou kept on using different terms to describe the place, so much that it confused the heck out of everyone. Either the black-haired teen was just as confused as his Pokemon or simply enjoyed messing around with their heads. Based on the Zoroark's experience with Seishirou, the former would pick the latter explanation without much thought.

Fortunately for Xander, the thought of returning to Seishirou's 'humble abode' as the human coined it would have to take a back seat as Arceus had decided to answer his earlier prayer. The Zoroark had not taken more than five steps before a delectable scent entered his nostrils. The scent was so pure that the Illusion Fox Pokemon failed to suppress a shiver that tingled his spine and expressed his delight by giving out a haunting laugh. After he finished laughing, he took a deep breath and exhaled, the grin occupying his features wider than usual.

_"My, my, isn't this very enlightening," _he chortled. _"I never would have expected Arceus to grant my wish, especially one that involves death. Perhaps... I should reevaluate my faith." _He grew silent for a while before he muttered, _"No, my mind's telling me that I have lost faith in the Alpha Pokemon. The reason... is lost to me but I better stay true to my mind's wishes if I'm ever to get my memory back. ...Now then, back to the matter at hand."_

He once again set his sights skywards and found out he was facing east based on the Sun's position. Nodding to himself, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind from any thoughts that did not have to do with finding his prey.

_"Aura Pulse,"_ he whispered.

This technique served no real purpose outside of detecting the aura signatures of both humans and Pokemon within a five-mile radius but to Xander, this ability was indispensable, for hunting purposes anyway. Aura Pulse functioned somewhat like a portable sonar system. By utilizing this technique, Xander can emit electromagnetic waves to locate the object of his interest which in this case was his prey. The waves would bounce off the surface of any object they came into contact with and images will be immediately projected in his mind. The images were mostly black in colour and outlined in blue but if there were any life forms, then Xander will see their silhouettes accented by the colour of their aura.

_"Show yourself, show yourself, show yourself," _Xander chanted as he inspected each image that entered his mind thoroughly. The first few images showed him some silhouettes of different Pokemon but they did not have the aura that he was looking for. By the time the tenth image rolled in, Xander had almost given up but decided to look through one more image before retiring for the day. This decision proved to be most fruitful as he finally saw his prey in aura-silhouette form.

The Zoroark barely managed to stop himself from grinning ear to ear but allowed his body to twitch in excitement. _"I got you now. Hope you can provide me with some entertainment." _With that said, he jumped into the air and burst into red and black wisps of smoke which travelled northward towards the unfortunate soul.

The wisps of smoke dodged and weaved around the trees and foliage, tracking down the prey with the pure scent. About ten minutes later, their brief sojourn was brought to an end as the smoke particles congregated atop a think tree branch and silently exploded, revealing the predator in solid form. The predator noticed straightaway that the tree was overlooking a meadow beautified by a wide range of flowers but petty things such as beauty were of utter insignificance to him. The only thing that mattered to him was locating his prey. The matter was easily accomplished since said prey was grazing in the clearing below.

Xander frowned. _"That's it?" _he said in a flat tone upon seeing his prey. _"I was expecting something that would test my hunting prowess." _A sigh escaped his lips as he conceded, _"Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers. I might as well play with this one since this shall hardly be a challenge." _

With malicious thoughts swirling inside his head, he once again changed into his gaseous state and inched closer to the unsuspecting victim.

* * *

Melissa clamped her mouth down upon some grass and pulled them out of the ground before using her teeth to grind them into smaller pieces. Once she determined that the grass was almost sticky in consistency, the Deerling swallowed the green mush and licked her lips clean of any lingering grass 'crumbs'.

_"Yum, the grass in this meadow has the best taste in this entire forest!" _she exclaimed happily. _"I don't know why Daddy forbade me from coming here. He said that predators are running rampant around here but all I see is a beautiful meadow with tasty grass and berries. Speaking of berries, I think I saw some juicy Oran berries over there."_

The female Deerling was fairly young, having been born about two to three summers ago. She had green eyes and the typical build of an everyday Deerling. Since it was currently springtime, the upper side of her body, rimmed and dappled with yellow patterns, was coloured pink with the underside being a lighter beige shade. She sported a yellowish-red floral tuft on her head and a teardrop-shaped tattoo below her left eye. Personality-wise, she was cheerful, bubbly and easily excitable, especially when it came to beautiful meadows. She just loved frolicking in them, especially if food was just a bite away. She was not a glutton per se but she would rather obtain her everyday nourishment without putting in any considerable effort than sweat herself out.

Though, she hadn't always been the lighthearted Deerling like she was now. A tragedy that befell her family just a year ago almost made her world shatter into a million pieces: her mother's death. Her mother had been killed by a poacher and to make matters worse, she was present when the tragic incident occurred and was mature enough to comprehend the scene that was playing before her eyes on that fateful night. She would have suffered the same fate as her mother if her father's rescue came just a fraction late. Although Melissa's mind was all scrambled up due to the trauma of witnessing someone dear to her die before her very eyes, she kinda knew what befell the poacher when her father came back with red liquid dripping off the tips of his antlers. In a way, she was glad that the poacher got his just desserts but at the same time, she was sad that her father had to resort to killing the human.

It took Melissa a great deal of time to get over the loss of her mother. During that period, she became a shell of her former self. The Deerling would never leave her mother's grave for anything other than to eat and bathe. As a result, her best friends became simply friends while her friends became mere acquaintances. They would have stopped being friends with Melissa altogether if her father had not intervened and snapped her out of her depression. Gradually, she came to accept that Arceus loved her mother more but the pain still lingered. The Deerling found solace in the training sessions supervised by her father. She knew that she would have to leave her father soon and start living independently but until then, she wanted his life to be free of any future tragedies. The simplest way to achieve that was by staying alive and so far..., she'd been doing a pretty decent job.

A shrub full of Oran berries found its way into her line of sight. Melissa found the presence of the shrub to be rather strange since Oran berries usually grew on trees. In fact, she was sure that that shrub was not there when she entered the meadow. However, she put her suspicions to rest as the sight of those juicy-looking berries was making her salivate with anticipation.

_"These berries look extremely delicious," _Melissa breathed out gleefully. _"Wonder what they'll taste like? Welp, only one way to find out." _She bent her neck down to take a bite out of one of the berries but suddenly felt a hostile presence closing in upon her. She could have dismissed the feeling as just a fragment of her imagination but she was not about to start taking chances as she leapt backwards. The timing could not have been more impeccable because the berry that she was about to eat a second ago suddenly split into perfect halves. The two halves of the fruit splattered onto the ground, juice leaking out of them.

_"Damn, I missed," _a metallic voice grunted in a dissatisfied tone.

Melissa looked up to see a Bisharp which was in a crouched position, his back facing her. The Deerling noticed that the blade-like appendages attached to the arms of the Sharp Sword Pokemon were glowing faintly, most likely from the leftover energy left by the attack she had just narrowly avoided. The blue glow encompassing those dangerous and sharp blades gradually faded away. Melissa's attacker then stood up, turned around and gave the Deerling an amused but condescending gaze.

The Bisharp commented, _"Hmm..., you did pretty well to dodge that attack of mine. Though, you should have allowed my attack to connect as it would've safe you a lot of trouble."_

Melissa frowned a little at the dual-type Dark/Steel Pokemon. _"Why would it save **me **a lot of trouble?" _she asked, trying to keep her facial expression neutral. _"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"_

_"Heh, of course not," _Melissa's assailant sneered as he flashed the blades on his arms dangerously. _"By dodging that attack, you've not only made me feel irritated at myself but also made me consider you worthy prey. For your information, I have a tendency to... 'play' with those whom I deemed worthy enough to kill." _The Sharp Sword Pokemon paused and cracked his neck to the left and then to the right before he stated sadistically, _"Your journey to the afterlife will be slow and I will revel in hearing your cries of anguish and suffering."_

The predator half-expected a look of pure terror to descend upon his prey's features but he certainly did not expect a look of utter defiance to occupy it instead. He failed to suppress a shudder of excitement that ran down his spine. He had stumbled across a very interesting prey indeed.

_"Since you've been armed with the knowledge that you won't be leaving here alive, shouldn't you be cowering in fear or begging for mercy?" _the Bisharp directed his question to Melissa in a malicious tone.

_"Why should I?" _Melissa shot back._ "Do you think I'm one of those stereotypical Deerling who can defend themselves? Well, you've got another thing coming, Mr. High-and-Mighty."_

The Sharp Sword Pokemon grinned, adrenaline flowing through his veins. _"I'm flattered," _he said. The blades on his arms took on a blue glow again. _"Oh, and call me Exdran." _Without warning, he repeatedly swung his arms outwards and released multiple light blue rings of energy at his prey.

_"Fast," _Melissa gasped as she took immediate evasive action. She ducked to avoid the first ring of energy before she started skipping in a diagonal direction, leaving behind a trail of explosions caused by the rings of energy. Each one came to within a hair's breadth of hitting Melissa but the Season Pokemon was simply a fraction too fast.

_"Hmph..., amusing," _Exdran mused at the back of his mind as he ceased from attacking his prey with Psycho Cut. He then knelt on one knee, closed his eyes, and entered a zen-like state. He emptied his mind and focused his aura into the gold, double-headed axe blade on his 'helmet'. As his eyes were still closed, he could see nothing but darkness. When a flash light briefly pierced the darkness, Exdran knew that his next attack; Iron Head, was ready. He promptly opened his eyes and dashed towards Melissa using Agility.

The Season Pokemon noticed that ground behind her was no longer detonating and skidded to a halt. However, she was given no time to catch her breath as Exdran suddenly appeared and loomed over her with the weapon on his head glowing silver. The Sharp Sword Pokemon leaned backwards before he jerked the upper half of his body downwards to inflict some serious damage upon Melissa. Knowing that she would be in a pickle should the attack connect, she hastily conjured up a turquoise energy shield around her body. She smiled when Exdran's head bounced off the barrier, thus leaving the Bisharp in a staggered state. Melissa dispelled the barrier, jumped backwards while charging up an Energy Ball in her mouth and promptly fired it at her assailant. The sphere of energy detonated upon contact with Exdran's midsection, pushing him back a couple of feet.

Exdran looked unfazed by that attack as he wiped some imaginary dust off his left shoulder. _"That attack would've hurt," _he drawled, _"if I wasn't resistant to its typing. You should've done your homework. Your stupidity is decreasing your value as a worthy meal."_

_"There you go again," _Melissa exhaled exasperatedly. _"You make it seem as though I've already lost this battle." _The corners of her mouth curved up a bit as she grinned defiantly at Exdran. _"That overconfidence of yours will cost you a satisfying meal."_

_"Calling yourself a 'satisfying meal'?" _Exdran chuckled. _"You're a strange one, I'll give you that. Unfortunately, flattery will get you nowhere. After that little declaration, I'm now even more eager to make you writhe in pain." _The Bisharp flashed the blades on his arms again for added effect.

Melissa stared at the Sharp Sword Pokemon through half-lidded eyes. She apologized flatly, _"Sorry but interspecies sex does not interest me in the slightest."_

Exdran gave Melissa a blank and emotionless gaze. _"If that was an attempt at a joke," _he commented seriously, _"then know that it shall be your last." _The Bisharp held his right arm out to the side and made the blade attached to said arm glow light purple. He thought of his earlier attempt to surprise the Deerling with Agility which ended in failure. He admitted that he had underestimated his prey and thought that her confidence was all talk.

_"I shan't make that mistake again," _he resolved. He bent his knees slightly and utilized a faster version of Agility; otherwise known as ExtremeSpeed, to get around Melissa. He moved his right arm over his left shoulder and slashed diagonally in an attempt to deal major damage to the Deerling's hind limbs. Should he succeed, then the task of killing her would be made that much easier as her movement would be impeded. Unfortunately for Exdran, his attack failed to find its mark as Melissa jumped and evaded the Dark-based attack by a single millimetre before she thrust out her hind legs, nailing Exdran's head in the process.

The Season Pokemon used the momentum gained from that counter to put some distance between her and her adversary. She came to a conjecture that she would have a greater chance of survival if she avoided getting involves in short-ranged skirmishes with the Bisharp. Taking full advantage of her natural flexibility, she twisted in midair and landed facing Exdran.

_"All that moving must've made you tired," _Melissa remarked casually. _"Perhaps you should-" _The Deerling siphoned her aura to her mouth for her next attack. _"-stay still!"_ As she concluded her sentence, she fired a beam of wind with turquoise rings outlining its shape from her mouth at Exdran.

The Sharp Sword Pokemon managed to shake off the effects of being on the receiving end of a super-effective Double Kick; on his head no less. He had time to only open his eyes before he was struck by multiple shock waves. A sharp noise assailed his eardrums and threatened to puncture them. The Normal-based attack messed up his equilibrium so bad that he swayed from side to side.

Melissa saw her chance and fired off ten Energy Balls at her dazed opponent. Taking Exdran's slight resistance to Grass-based attacks into thought, she knew, without a doubt, that the damage from ten Energy Balls in succession would overwrite that resistance. It was not that she did not have attacks of a different typing but Energy Ball was one of only two long-ranged attacks she had in her arsenal. The second of the two would consume almost all her energy if used so that move was stored away as a last resort.

Exdran stood no chance. He crossed his arms across his face for protection but it had little effect as he was pelted with a barrage of Energy Balls. Explosions littered his body; causing him to groan in pain as he was engulfed in grey smoke.

The Deerling surveyed the cloud of smoke in front of her with a critical eye. Though it looked as though she had won, it might just be ruse to strike her when her guard's down. She thought about the last time she allowed her guard to falter in the presence of a predator.

_"If it wasn't for Daddy," _she reminisced, _"that Zangoose would've turn me into a shish kebab."_ She shuddered. She still remembered the intense pain she felt when the Zangoose slowly and sadistically raked his claws across her body. The scars were gone but the pain had already been burnt into her mind. The Deerling shook her head. She realized that she had more pressing things to focus on; such as the fate of her opponent in front of her. She had all the time to mull over spilt milk after she resolved this matter.

The cloud of smoke gradually thinned out and ultimately dissipated to reveal Melissa's assailant. He was down on his back with his arms pinned to his sides, as if he were assuming the 'soldier' sleeping position. Melissa thought that she might have killed the Bisharp but sighed in relief when she saw his chest rise and fall. Despite her animosity towards Exdran, she understood that he was only seeking to preserve his life like any other predator. It was simply the way he lived his life and Melissa had not right to take that away from the Sharp Sword Pokemon. The Season Pokemon turned away to leave the clearing and make her way home but a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

The voice menacingly queried, _"Where do you think you're going, hmm?"_

Melissa slowly turned her body towards the source of the voice. She grew wide-eyed at the sight before her eyes. Instead of lying on the ground, Exdran was on his feet; his breathing ragged and his body slouched forward with his arms hanging lazily on his sides. The Bisharp had his head down; making Melissa wonder what sort of expression was plastered on his face.

_"You really are pushing me, little girl," _Exdran whispered ominously. He slowly raised his head and made eye contact with his prey. _"For all that obstinance, I will make you-" _His eyes suddenly glowed crimson red. _"-suffer."_

The dual-type Normal/Grass Pokemon suddenly felt an intense pressure upon her body. It was as if she was being weighed down by ten slabs of concrete. _"Damn," _she cursed silently. _"He used Scary Face on me. My speed's gonna be severely affected." _Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her face. She resolved, _"Still, I won't give up!"_

Through his peripheral vision, Exdran could still see the defiance in Melissa's eyes despite having her most valuable stat reduced to mere shambles. _"It's time I replace all that defiance with terror," _he told himself. The Bisharp stretched out his right leg and crouched down, placing his left hand on the ground while keeping his right arm raised. He then took a deep breath before concentrating his energy into the blade attached to his right arm. As a result, the blade elongated and took on a white glow. Using ExtremeSpeed, he dashed towards his prey at a blinding speed while stretching his right arm out wide.

Melissa saw her opponent vanish from her sights. Given the manner in which he disappeared, the Deerling guessed that he had once again used ExtremeSpeed. Normally, she would have no trouble tracking her opponents' movements but thanks to Exdran's Scary Face, she could not fully concentrate. Wind suddenly caressed her face as she felt something dash past her. She turned her neck; just in time to see Exdran reappear at the corner of her eye. Upon closer observation, she noted that not only did the blade on his right arm was sharper and longer but it had a strange red liquid dripping off its sharp end. It looked like blood. Feeling a sudden sense of foreboding in her heart, she slowly moved her gaze downwards. As if on cue, an incised wound appeared on each of her four legs; blood spewing out of them like water raining down from fire sprinklers.

_"AHHHHHHHH!" _Melissa yelled out in pain as she dropped down to the ground. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth; trying hard to not display any weakness to her attacker. The Season Pokemon meekly lifted her eyelids to assess the damage inflicted upon her most important assets. She nearly hurled at the sight of her blood dying the green grass red.

_"I told you I would make you suffer," _the Deerling heard Exdran state. She weakly tore her eyes away from her legs and glanced upwards; immediately catching sight of Exdran looking down at her with a murderous gleam in his eyes.

The Bisharp slowly raised his right arm to the sky; the attached blade glinting menacingly. _"Now... you... die!" _he screamed excitedly as he swung his arm downwards.

Melissa closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come. _"I'm coming, Mommy," _she whispered in acceptance.

Five seconds passed. Ten seconds passed. The pain still had not come. Melissa wondered if her soul had left her body and entered Heaven. The prospect of spending eternity frolicking around in Heaven with her mother, should she find her, filled her with so much happiness that she opened her eyes; expecting her sight to be greeted by the eight doors of Heaven. Instead, she only encountered disappointment when she realized that she was still amongst the living. Her disappointment was short-lived as she went wide-eyed; not at the blade that was inches from her face but at the paw that was grasping said blade. The Deerling took a closer look at the paw that saved her. The paw had three red claws and black fur.

_"W-Wait a m-minute," _she flabbergasted. _"Don't tell me I was saved by a-a..." _She knew what Pokemon saved her but she simply did not want to believe it. Her father warned her about this Pokemon. It was devious, evil and could never be trusted under any circumstance. She meekly glanced at the owner of the paw from the corner of her eye. Melissa saw a Zoroark.

The fact that a Zoroark had just prevented Melissa's death did not escape Exdran as he angrily queried, _"What is the meaning of this? Why have you interfered with my-"_ The Bisharp was not given a chance to complete his question as the Zoroark elbowed him right in the face. The force behind that blow was so great that the Sharp Sword Pokemon was launched off the ground and sent flying backwards about ten feet. He managed to land on his two feet but still skidded backwards an additional five feet.

_"Holy," _Melissa gasped as she looked at the distance at which her assailant was sent flying. That one blow just sent Exdran flying half the length of the clearing. She could only stare at her saviour in wonder and awe. The Deerling deduced that the Zoroark must have gone through hell to obtain that level of power. That feeling of admiration was replaced by fear when the Zoroark knelt down in front of her. Melissa noticed that he was staring at her bloodied legs. Maybe she was just kidding herself. What reason would the Zoroark have to save her other than to get an easy meal? The Season Pokemon held her breath as the Zoroark lifted his eyelids. For the third time in thirty seconds, Melissa was rendered speechless. What entered her sights were the brightest blue orbs she had ever seen. Plus, in contrast to her father's tales about the Pokemon in front of her, she did not detect a hint of malice in those eyes.

_"Are you alright?" _the Zoroark asked in a concerned tone.

Melissa stared at her saviour through half-lidded eyes. _"Other than me slowly bleeding to death, I'm just peachy," _she retorted flatly.

The Illusion Fox Pokemon chuckled sheepishly as he scratched his snout. _"Yeah, that was a stupid question," _he admitted. _"There's little cause for worry though. I have something that might help stem the bleeding." _He promptly reached into his mane and pulled out a vial containing some brown oil of sorts.

_"What's that?" _Melissa queried curiously.

_"It's just a special blood-clotting ointment my Trainer gave me," _the Zoroark replied. He proceeded to unscrew the cap of the vial and dipped one of his claws into the ointment before he applied it on Melissa's wounds.

_"Trainer, huh?" _Melissa pondered aloud. This new piece of information calmed her slightly. _"Does this mean that you are tame in nature?"_

The Illusion Fox Pokemon shook his head; all the while maintaining the good-natured smirk on his features. He told Melissa, _"Not in the slightest. My Trainer allows me to wander about most of the time so I think 'partially wild' would better describe me. Again, there's little cause for concern. Though I hunt other Pokemon like your assailant, I have my principles." _

_"Oh," _the Deerling murmured. _"That's a relief, I guess."_

The Zoroark shrugged as he continued to apply the ointment on the Deerling's injuries. Satisfied with the treatment, he screwed the cap back on and kept the vial in his mane once again. _"That should do..., for now at least," _he said as he stood back up. _"The ointment should take about five minutes to work its magic. Until then, don't try to stand up."_

Melissa smiled at the Zoroark gratefully. _"Thanks."_

The Dark-type Pokemon was about to respond but a growl from across the clearing caught his attention. He noticed that the Bisharp had recovered from the little present he had given the Sharp Sword Pokemon. From his observation, Exdran looked beyond pissed.

_"Sorry but it would seem that I have to entertain our guest," _the Zoroark sighed as he tossed his head from side to side; a method he often used to loosen up the kinks in his neck. _"I'll get back to you soon." _

Melissa cautioned her saviour, _"Don't let your guard down, Mr. Zoroark."_

_"Don't call me Mister," _the Dark-type Pokemon grumbled as he took a couple of steps towards his opponent. _"My name is Xander. Use it."_

Exdran exhaled ragged breaths as he glared murderously at Xander. _"How dare you?" _the Bisharp rasped. _"What right do you have to stop me from feasting upon that Deerling's flesh? Are you simply too lazy to look for your own prey that you have to resort to stealing **my **hard-earned, soon-to-be meal?" _He snickered when a thought crossed his mind. _"Heh..., or maybe you're just a pitiful excuse for a hunter. Well, are you?" _Exdran paused to give Xander an opportunity to respond but when he caught sight of the bored expression on the Zoroark's face, the Sharp Sword Pokemon grew livid and shouted, _"Answer me, you insolent welp!"_

_"Sheesh, all your questions are giving me a migraine," _Xander complained as he massaged his temples with the tip of his claws. He added, _"One thing's for sure, you and the word 'psychiatrist' should stay far away from each other. It would be an unhappy covenant which would result in a rather messy divorce."_

Exdran mockingly stated, _"Your attempts to prolong your life by engaging me in a pleasant conversation and introducing some foreign terms amuses me oh so very much." _He then announced, _"Sadly, it's time that I bring this charade to an end."_ For the third time in ten minutes, he used ExtremeSpeed to get behind his opponent; the only difference being that his opponent this time was Xander. The Bisharp readied a Metal Claw and promptly thrust his right arm in a linear motion, hoping to pierce through the Zoroark's heart.

Xander however anticipated the strike as he sidestepped to the left and avoided the attack. The Illusion Fox Pokemon speedily grasped Exdran's wrist and pulled it downwards, sending the Bisharp spinning head over heels into the air. Next, the Zoroark jumped high and executed a 360-degree spin before he delivered a solid kick to Exdran's gut. A faint smile graced his features as he watched the Sharp Sword Pokemon crash onto the ground, forming a small crater and sending some dirt and grass into the air. Sound was absent when he landed on the ground as if he was no heavier than a feather.

_"As evidenced by the fact that you are currently lying sprawled on the ground," _Xander began, _"you can't really depend on your speed if you were thinking of landing a hit on me. That was a pathetic attempt. What made it even more pathetic was that I only had to rely on my hand-to-hand combat abilities to counter your attack. In fact, that kick just now had no augmentation from my aura. I was just utilizing pure leg strength there."_

_"Your point?" _Exdran respired defiantly as he ignored his body's protest and got back on his feet. He sagged forwards almost immediately but the Bisharp grinded his right foot into the ground which prevented him from dropping to his knees. The Sharp Sword Pokemon once again fixed Xander with an agitated glare. His eyes then drifted to Melissa before they went back to the Zoroark.

_"Why do you feel the need to save this Deerling?" _Exdran questioned tersely as he pointed his right hand at Melissa. _"Her species is one your natural prey, is it not? Why do you seek to deviate from this fact that has been determined ever since the day you hatched from your egg?" _He added, _"Haven't you heard of the saying, 'The weak are meat, the strong eat'?"  
_

A dark expression spread across Xander's face at the mention of the word 'egg' but it disappeared instantly a second later._ "Your rambling is starting to annoy me," _he responded. _"Fine, I suppose I'll give you three reasons on why I chose to interfere." _The Zoroark promptly raised three claws. _"One, this Deerling is too young."_ He lowered one of his claws. _"Two, I'm in a self-righteous mood today-"_ He lowered another of his claws and pointed the remaining claw at Exdran. _"-and three, I just don't like you."_

Exdran's left eye twitched. _"What does your not liking me have anything to do with this conflict?" _the Bisharp retorted. He recalled Xander's first statement. He echoed, _"You claimed that this Deerling is too young. What significance does this fact hold?"_

_"A lot; to me at least," _Xander replied. He elaborated, _"You see, I just don't go rushing in and start taking down any prey that enters my field of vision. I have to abide by my principles. Judging from this Deerling's appearance, I would say that she is no older than four summers; give or take a year. In my book, that's just too young. She has not experienced her life fully... and you have no right to take that away from her. You saw how bravely she fought to keep hold of her life." _The Zoroark then suggested, _"The least you could do is to let her keep her life. I'm sure a day without dinner won't kill you."_

The Sharp Sword Pokemon glanced at Xander blankly before he let loose a loud laugh. He asked smugly, _"Do you really think that you'd be able to force your thoughts on me?" _He paused for a moment before he continued, _"As if. In my eyes, whether they're old or young, prey is prey. When I'm hunting, I don't think; I just do. It is our jobs as predators to abide by the law of nature, is it not? Compassion is not synonymous with this law. That shall forever be my stand on this subject. Your so-called 'principles' disgust me. I'll never accept them."_

Upon hearing the Bisharp's words, Xander sighed as he lamented, _"Pity. I was hoping to avoid a confrontation but it seems that you leave me no choice." _The Illusion Fox Pokemon cracked the joints in his wrists and shifted to combat mode. _"I guess the only thing I can do is to render you unconscious and hope you wake up a more compassionate Pokemon."_

Exdran grinned, obviously excited at the prospect of battling Xander despite the fact of having been denied his dinner. _"Hah, if anyone is gonna be rendered unconscious here, it's you!" _he shouted gleefully as he dashed towards Xander, intent on dismembering the Dark-type Pokemon with his blades which had been sharpen due to him using Hone Claws.

_"One who lets the thrill of battle rule over his mind is fighting a losing one," _Seishirou's words echoed in Xander's head as he dodged a horizontal slash with relative ease.

This pattern continued on for a while. Exdran swung his blades at every part of Xander's body from his head to his legs but the latter avoided the former's strikes effortlessly. It was as if the Illusion Fox Pokemon was merely toying with his opponent. When Xander leapt over the Bisharp to avoid a downward slash, Exdran caught sight of Xander's expression from the corner of his eye; he saw that boredom was clearly reflected in the Zoroark's eyes. This drove the dual-type Dark/Steel Pokemon over the edge as he began assailing Xander with Psycho Cut.

Xander simply yawned as he executed several complex midair evasive manoeuvres to dodge the rings of energy. Eventually, the Zoroark grew so bored of dodging the halo-like projectiles that he began to slash each disc of psychic energy that came near him in half with his bare claws. He silently snickered as he watched Exdran become more and more frustrated by his failed attempts to hit the Zoroark. A light bulb suddenly lit up in Xander's head. Placing his paws behind his back, he now utilized the claws on his feet to slice the energy discs, much to the amazement of the battle's spectator.

_"Amazing," _she breathed in awe. _"I've never seen such an effortless display. Is this truly the strength of a tamed Pokemon?" _The Deerling began to have second thoughts about her resolve to not allow a Trainer to capture her. She mulled, _"Maybe, getting captured is not such a bad thing after all."_

Back to the battle, Xander split one more energy-filled ring in half before lost all the air he gained from his jump; he touch downed with his body in a crouched position. He opened his eyes and surveyed the ground, noting that a figure was currently towering over him due to the fact that his shadow had been consumed by the figure's shadow. Xander did not need to look up. He knew it was Exdran.

_"Your life ends here!" _Exdran yelled as he swung his blades downwards.

Indeed, Exdran's prediction would have come true had he not received a face full of fur as Xander spun and smacked the Bisharp with his mane. As a result, the former's attack was cancelled out as he took a step backwards.

_"Hey, what's the big-"_

Exdran's face was again buffeted with fur as Xander repeated the move; preventing the Sharp Sword Pokemon from finishing his sentence.

_"Damn you! Would you just-"_

For the second time, Exdran's attempt to reprimand Xander for the latter's cheap move was shot down; not because Xander repeated the move again but because the Illusion Fox Pokemon landed two solid chops to the sides of his head. The two blows generated shock waves that sandwiched Exdran's brain; not only inducing great damage to the organ but also causing it to be 'switched off' momentarily. The light in Exdran's eyes vanished as he faltered backwards.

Xander's eyes narrowed to mere slits. _"My turn," _he said as he began to pummel Exdran with a flurry of punches and kicks. The two blades on Exdran's torso offered the Sharp Sword Pokemon little protection as Xander accurately placed his attacks between and above them. The Zoroark then jumped backwards before he executed a perfect roundhouse kick to Exdran's abdomen, making the latter's body hunch forwards. While keeping his right leg raised, Xander abruptly thrust it upwards and slammed Exdran's face with the outer edge of his foot. This caused the Bisharp's neck to snap backwards as his body formed an arc-like shape. Things only got worse for the Bisharp as Xander moved both of his paws behind the former's neck and brought it downwards. The Zoroark then thrust out his right knee.

***BANG* *BANG***

The force behind those two knee strikes was equivalent to that of a bullet being shot out of a gun. Xander raised Exdran's head a little to survey his handiwork and smiled when he saw blood leaking out of the Bisharp's eyes, meaning that he scored direct hits on his intended targets. A whimper escaped through Exdran's lips and Xander failed to suppress a predatorial grin from making itself present on his face. He felt sorry for his opponent but the urge to deal more irreversible damage to the Bisharp outweighed that shred of pity.

Before he continued on with his onslaught, the Illusion Fox Pokemon brought Exdran's face closer to his own and casually licked the small streams of blood flowing out his eyes. Having given his body a little nourishment, Xander resumed his assault on his opponent by taking hold of the Bisharp's right arm. In a swift motion, the Dark-type Pokemon turned around, swung Exdran over his shoulder and slammed him onto the ground. Xander watched and grinned as his opponent coughed out blood. The Zoroark casually dusted his paws off before he reached down and raised Exdran's body to a sitting position. He had to expend a bit more energy than usual to accomplish this simple task as the blades on Exdran's torso practically stuck him to the ground but Xander got it done. He then planted a foot against Exdran's back and grabbed both of the Bisharp's arms. Applying pressure on his back, Xander gave the arms a slight tug.

_"Argh!" _Exdran grunted in pain.

_"These arms of yours," _Xander crooned in a very malicious tone, _"are rather valuable to you, are they not?" _The Zoroark began to slowly pull the arms harder while applying more pressure on Exdran's back at the same time. _"You seem pretty... 'attached' to them."_

Exdran gazed fearfully at Xander over his shoulder. _"No," _he pleaded. _"Have mercy."_

_"Sorry," _Xander apologized as he fixed Exdran with a condescending gaze. _"All out of mercy." _With that said, the Illusion Fox Pokemon leaned forward before he jerked backwards and pulled with all his might. He inwardly sighed when he heard the sound that would always tingle his spine with so much pleasure._  
_

***CRRAAACCCCKKKKK***

_"GAHHHHHH!" _Exdran screamed as two of his humerus bones were separated from his scapula.

Unfortunately for the Sharp Sword Pokemon, Xander had to intention of stopping; not yet, anyways. Keeping his foot planted on Exdran's back, Xander released the Bisharp's left arm and tightly gripped his right arm with both of his paws. Without warning, the Zoroark gave the arm a simple 540 degree twist.

***SNAP***

Feeling satisfied, Xander released the mangled arm and lifted his foot off Exdran's back, allowing the Sharp Sword Pokemon to crumple onto the ground in sheer agony. He casually stepped over the Bisharp to make his way over to Melissa. He had not gone more than five steps before he suddenly stopped. Turning around, he reached down and lifted Exdran's left leg. The Zoroark scrutinized the limb or more specifically, the area above the patella. He boredly raised his left arm and swiftly brought down his elbow upon the targeted area.

***CRACK***

Exdran would have cried out in pain but his voice was just too sore from the earlier screaming.

Xander eyed the other leg but decided he had done enough damage. He let go of the broken leg and stretched his back as if he had just woken up from a long nap. Eying Melissa who was on the other side of the clearing, the Zoroark coolly strolled towards the Season Pokemon.

Melissa could only stare in shock as Xander made his way over to her. Although she was was glad that he defeated her assailant, she did not expect him to do so in a ruthless manner. At the moment, she was glad that she was not in his bad books. She opened her mouth to greet him but movement behind the Zoroark suddenly caught her eye. The Deerling craned her neck to the side to get a better view. Terror immediately filled her veins. She wished she had not looked. Exdran was charging up a Hyper Beam... and she did not a brain to figure out the Bisharp's intended target.

_"Watch out, Xander!" _she yelled out desperately.

Her warning was unnecessary as Xander already knew what was going on behind him. Without taking his eyes off Melissa, he conjured up a miniature Shadow Ball at the tip of one his claws. He promptly raised the claw over his shoulder and flicked the ball of darkness at Exdran. The ball rocketed towards the Bisharp at a blinding speed and entered the larger orb of energy forming in the Bisharp's mouth.

Of course, Exdran did not know that as he was focused on one thing and one thing only: obliterating Xander off the face of the planet. _"Sayonara, you bastard," _he thought gleefully. He was about to fire the powerful Normal-based attack when something went horribly wrong. The orb of energy in his mouth kept on expanding. Exdran realized this and tried to suppress it but the damage inflicted upon his body by Xander shot down his energy levels to a point where it would only be enough to ready an attack but not execute it. Since suppressing the orb of energy was out, he decided to fire it instead. However, he could not concentrate due to the severe amount of pain he was feeling. Before he knew it, it was too late.

***BOOM***

The orb of energy became too unstable and exploded at point-blank range, engulfing Exdran in a massive explosion, thereby ending his pitiful existence.

Melissa drew a sharp intake of breath as Exdran exploded into oblivion right before her very eyes. It was the second time she had witnessed death in person... and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She felt nauseated to the point that she did not notice Xander who was crouching before her with a worry etched across his features.

_"Hey, are you alright?" _Xander asked in a concerned tone.

The Deerling did not bother to look at her saviour. She simply swallowed the bile rising to her throat and kept her head down.

Xander stared at her grimly before he switched his attention to the enourmous flames burning brightly behind him. He looked back at Melissa and guessed, _"You're not used to death, are you?"_

This time, Melissa responded... but only with a shake of her head.

The Illusion Fox Pokemon nodded in understanding. _"Don't worry," _he assured her. _"It gets easier to bear with time. Trust me. I was your age once and I felt sick to my stomach everytime I witnessed death first-hand_. _You just have to accept the fact that death is simply a part of life. Our time on this planet is limited so death is inevitable. Once you've open your eyes to the truth and accepted this fact, you'll feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted off your shoulders."_

Melissa allowed a small smile to grace her features. Xander's words comforted her a little. _"Thank you, Mr. Zoroark."_

_"Don't call 'Mister'," _Xander grumbled. _"I'm not that old."_

The Deerling giggled. _"Sorry but it's funny seeing you grumble like an old geezer."_

Xander merely rolled his eyes and turned his back to her. _"Hop on," _he suddenly said.

_"Eh?" _Melissa mouthed out in confusion.

_"I am taking you to a nearby cave," _he explained. _"I made that cave into a leisure area of sorts. You can replenish your strength there. Then, I'll send you home."_

The Season Pokemon pondered on Xander's offer. Even though he saved her life, there was no going around the fact that he was still a Dark-type Pokemon. Most of them were known to be extremely devious and cunning orators. Once your guard was down, they would turn on you in an instant. However, Melissa, unlike her father, did not believe that all Dark-type Pokemon are evil. She knew that some of them were good-natured by heart but due to the actions of their more evil cousins, other Pokemon were reluctant to trust them. Based solely on what she saw, Melissa decided to give Xander a benefit of a doubt.

_"Okay" _was her answer as she crawled forwards and put her front legs around Xander's neck.

The Zoroark's paws automatically grasped Melissa's outer thighs as he stood up. Shooting one last glance at the blazing inferno, Xander broke into an all-out sprint.

* * *

They reached Xander's so-called 'leisure area' in about ten minutes. Truthfully, they would have gotten there sooner had Melissa not ask Xander to stop every ten seconds so that she may go into the foliage and vomit. Who could blame her? Xander was practically flitting with speeds up to a 100 miles per hour; not to mention that he saw fit to use the trees as springboards. Xander carefully set her down on the ground. This time, she could not hold the bile long enough for her to go to the surrounding foliage as she puked on the spot.

_"It would seem that you struggle with motion sickness," _Xander observed.

Melissa looked up and weakly glared at Xander. _"Oh **sorry**,"_ she apologized snappily. _"I'm sure that every Pokemon in this damn forest can move as fast as a Deoxys."_

Xander stared at her blankly. Without warning, he flicked her forehead.

_"Ouch," _she hissed, more out of annoyance than pain. _"What was that for?"_

_"For cursing," _the Zoroark stated while he wagged a claw at her as if he were reprimanding a child. _"That word shouldn't even be in your vocabulary."_

_"Sorry **mum**," _the Deerling grumbled.

Xander ignored that little comment and motioned for Melissa to follow him into the cave. _"Come on. I'll fixed something up for you."_

The Deerling nodded and shakily got up before she trotted after him, unaware of the sinister grin stretched across Xander's features. She expected the interior of the cave to be pitch-black but once again, she was left speechless at the sight before her. A small campfire which illuminated the cave occupied the middle of the space. There was a wide assortment of berries on one side of the cave and a large stack of hay on the other. Overall, the cave had a sort of 'homey' feel to it.

_"It would serve you well to close your mouth," _Xander's voice rang throughout the cave, snapping Melissa out of her reverie. _"You wouldn't want to choke on a fly."_

Melissa turned her neck towards Xander and was pleasantly surprised to see him slide a bowl of purplish-blue liquid in front of her. She craned her neck downwards to sniff the concoction. Her brain registered an absolutely pleasant smell which loosened up her body considerably. The Deerling then looked at Xander for an explanation.

He readily provided one for the Season Pokemon. _"That bowl contains a mixture of Oran berries, Bluk berries and a small amount of Leppa berries, hence the colour of the solution. This is not a drink; rather, it's medicine. Like all medicine, this one would leave a bad aftertaste in your mouth so I added a bit of rose water. To tell you the truth, there was a small chance that a rancid smell would permeate the air in this cave but judging from your expression, the combination worked." _He added, _"This concoction will help you get over the motion sickness and increase your heart rate. You need to get the blood flowing back to your legs." _Xander flashed a benign smile at Melissa. _"Enjoy."_

She smiled back at him before she dipped her mouth into the mixture and started drinking it. It tasted extremely sour at first; so much that she recoiled back her mouth almost instantly.

_"Don't worry," _Xander assured her. _"The sour taste will gradually make way for a sweet one."_

Melissa took a deep breath to calm herself before she dipped her mouth back into the mixture. The sourness of the mixture assaulted her taste buds but she soldiered on. Slowly but surely, the sourness in her mouth was replaced with sweetness. Her eyes lit up in joy as she happily sipped the whole concoction. She moved her mouth away from the empty bowl and licked her lips.

_"That was tasty," _she complimented. _"Thanks again, Xander."_

_"Anytime," _he replied. _"Unlike the ointment my Trainer gave me, this medicine is rather fast-acting. You should feeling its effects right about... now."_

Instead of feeling better, Melissa suddenly felt extremely dizzy and nauseated. She began to sweat profusely as her body temperature soared. Her airway suddenly constricted, cutting off her oxygen supply and making her face turn blue. Almost instantly, it expanded again but bile immediately rose up to her throat. She had not no choice but to expel the fluid through her mouth. The Deerling's widened in shock. It was not bile that she expelled. Rather, she vomitted blood. She had no time to ponder on that as her legs suddenly felt like jelly. It was as if she did not have any bones. The legs finally gave way as she fell onto the cold, damp floor.

_"Damp?" _she pondered in confusion. _"I thought the floor was dry." _She wearily gazed about the cave and fear started to take root deep within her heart. The cave looked as though it had been a disguise. Gone were the assorment of berries and the stack of hay. Instead, they were replaced by skulls of various Pokemon. Melissa wanted to scream but all that came out was a barely audible gasp. Dried blood decorated the walls of the cave along with scratches and small-sized depressions. She guessed that they were others before her that were seduced by the devil. Registering the fact that Xander could possibly still be in the cave, she darted her sight all over the cave to locate him.

Suddenly, she felt her throat constrict tighter than before. Melissa assumed that someone was choking her. The fact that she felt sharp claws poking at her fragile neck was proof that her assumption was correct. She got no prize though as she was suddenly picked off the ground by her neck and sent flying into the wall. The jagged rocks dug into her back and left behind some vicious-looking lacerations. Before she could slide back down onto the ground, she halted in midair as she suddenly felt a sharp pain around her abdomen. She gravely looked down and saw three red claws imbedded into her abdomen. The claws were connected to a paw and the paw was connected to an arm which in turn was joined to the body of her assailant. Melissa gazed sadly into the eyes of her attacker.

_"X-X-Xander," _she stuttered due to the overwhelming pain she was feeling, _"w-w-why?"_

_"Why?" _he echoed. _"Did I disappoint you, Melissa?" _By that time, his voice had reverted back to its original tone: cold and heartless.

Tears threatened to fall down Melissa's cheeks. _"Just by looking at y-y-your e-eyes," _she rasped, _"I t-thought you w-were a good Pokemon. I-I-I only saw kindness in them." _She realized that it was getting harder to breathe. She then forcefully shouted, _"W-Whoever you are, give X-Xander back control of his body!"_

Xander simply gave the Deerling a sadistic smile as her slowly rotated his paw which claws threatened to rip her flesh. He perked his ears up as her screams sent shivers down his spine. _"I'm afraid that you're in no position to order me around, Melissa," _he purred seductively and threateningly. _"This is the true me. The Xander you met at the clearing was but a facade."_

_"No!" _she disagreed loudly. _"T-That's a l-l-lie. You're not him. The Xander I know had a s-s-strong sense of j-justice and would never kill w-w-without reason. H-He w-was considerate and g-gave m-me helpful advice on l-life." _The dam broke as tears streamed down her cheeks. _"P-Please. G-G-Give Xander back."_

The Zoroark chuckled hauntingly, his laughter echoeing throughout the cave. _"In denial? How pitiful," _he snickered. _"Why not I just show you?" _He then ordered, _"Look at me."_

Instead of following Xander's command, Melissa shut her eyes and shook her head.

Xander pursed his lips as he lifted his free paw and gave her a solid uppercut. Her head snapped backwards as the whiplash effect damaged her brain. Her head then sagged forwards as blood trickled down her chin. _"Look at me," _Xander repeated his order, this time in a very cold tone that promised more pain if she did not comply.

Melissa weakly opened her eyes and stared at the Illusion Fox Pokemon.

_"Good," _he whispered as he licked the blood dripping off her chin. He informed her, _"You are gonna be seeing a simple magic trick." _With that said, he hovered his free paw over his face. When he moved the paw away, his face took on a white glow as his features were obscured. As he snapped his claws, his face suddenly shattered as if it were a mirror. Shard after shard of the glowing mirror fell down and disintegrated into thin air.

Just like the glowing mirror, Melissa's hopes of talking some sense into Xander shattered into tiny shards. She was no longer staring at the face of a saviour. Instead, she was staring at the face of a killer. Said killer had eyes that were narrowed to slits and his face was set in a wide mocking smile.

_"Viola," _he announced mockingly. _"That mask I was wearing just now was a simple illusion. It's shouldn't be hard for you to accept this fact, my dear Melissa." _He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, _"You should have listened to 'Daddy'. We Zoroark are masters of deception and illusions."_

Melissa kept her head down and cried harder. She knew that she was going to die.

_"Relax, my dear," _he told her in a sweet but obviously fake tone. _"I don't plan to kill you, not yet. No. I plan to make you even more miserable by revealing your utter stupidity. It was not my fault you ended up here. No. You only have yourself to blame."_

_"W-W-Why?" _Melissa exhaled weakly.

Xander chuckled. _"It's simple really," _he replied. _"One, had you not gone to that clearing, you wouldn't have met me and the safety of your life would have been guaranteed." _Xander paused and made a deep incised wound on her chest. _"Two, had you not gone near that shrub of Oran berries, you would have been too far away for me to trap you in my illusion." _He made another slice parallel to the first one. _"Three, you chose to engage that Bisharp in battle. It was stupid of you to even think that you stood a chance of defeating him. Oh, and by the way, he too was an illusion. For Arceus's sake, just look at his name." _He added a third incised wound on her chest before he continued, _"If you take all the letters of his name and rearrange them, what would you get, hmm?"_

Melissa's eyes widened in realization. _"'Xander'," _she whispered tonelessly.

_"Very good," _he snidely praised her. _"For that, you get another piece of juicy information. Those wounds on your legs... they're fake as well, sweetheart. Don't believe me, hmm? Take a look for yourself."_

The Deerling knew that Xander was not bluffing her but looked down anyways. He was right. Her legs were devoid on any scars.

Xander added, _"Oh, one more thing. You know that ointment I gave you?" _The Zoroark reached into his mane and pulled out the vial that carried the so-called 'ointment'. _"Can you guess what was really in this vial?"_

_"N-N-No," _the Deerling stammered.

_"No?" _Xander echoed. _"You are such an idiot." _Without warning, he smashed the vial on her head; the flying shards of glass raked across her face and drew blood. _"It was freaking water, you fool."_

Melissa whimpered as blood continuously poured out of the cuts on her face. The blood was partially blinding her but in a way, she hoped that it would make her permanently blind because she did not want to see Xander's face.

_"Blood getting in your eyes?" _Xander asked her. _"I can help with that." _His tongue darted out as he began to ravage her face with long and sensual licks. The Zoroark shivered in pure ecstacy. Melissa's blood was simply divine.

Xander recoiled his tongue back into his mouth and gazed upon his prey. He noted that the Deerling was glaring hard at him, defiance clearing reflected in those green orbs.

_"My, such defiance in those eyes of yours," _Xander purred as he caressed Melissa's face. _"Speaking of eyes, they are said to be the windows to your soul so I've decided to pose you a question."_ He then hovered his claws dangerously close to Melissa's left eye. _"What does... your soul look like?"_

In one swift motion, he shoved those sharp claws deep into Melissa's left eye socket, blatantly ignoring her cries of pain. Xander sadistically swirled those claws, revelling in the 'squishy' sounds he was making. Finally, he hooked the claws onto the eye itself before he ripped it out of the eye socket. Blood spurted out of the eye socket and dyed his black fur red.

A yell or a scream did not reverberate throughout the cave this time as death had claimed the owner of the eye.

* * *

***BOOM***

Seishirou looked up at the darkening sky. Periodically, parts of the sky would flash white while releasing a thundering sound. He had been hoping to spend the night on the front porch reading a good book but it seemed impossible now.

"Oh, Seito's afraid of thunderstorms," he remembered. "Better go comfort him before he starts making a fuss."

The enigmatic teen stood up from the rattan chair and would have stepped inside his house had he not spotted some intriguing flowers at the corner of his eye. He eyed them for quite a while. He knew their scientific name. They were known as _Lycoris radiata_. Also, as someone well-versed in the occult, he knew the legend behind them.

"Looks like the red spider lilies will be busy tonight; thanks to him."

* * *

***Huff* Even my fillers are more than 10,000 words.**

**I just can't stop, can I? In any case, I'm glad to get this chapter out of the way.**

**For your information, I wrote the last 6,000 words in the past two days.**

**If you aren't a big fan of the bone snapping and cracking, blame Batman: Arkham City which is gonna be released on Oct 18.**

**Leave a review if you want though it's highly recommended if you want to see more chapters.**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	10. Chapter IX : Restaurant for Two

**Hey there. It really is a wonder how a six-week break can do to the speed of the updates.  
**

**Don't know whether to consider this chapter a filler or not. I guess it does advance the main plot a little.**

**Enjoy. **

* * *

"I don't even know why I agreed to this," a boy dressed in primarily simple garments respired, his voice betraying his annoyance. The black-haired teen did not really care about his appearance in general since he would much rather keep a low profile than stand out amongst a crowd. If would be hard to notice him since his outfit merely consisted of a plain grey T-shirt, an expensive-looking but ordinary wristwatch, fingerless gloves, dark blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers. A loner by definition, this suited him just fine.

He looked up and noted that he was not that far from reaching his objective. There was only a couple of metres separating him from the top of the mountain he was currently scaling. Upon further observation, he noticed two rocks jutting out above him and the boy deduced that they would make a good handholds. Nodding to himself, he braced his feet against their footholds and launched himself upwards. What were previously handholds now became footholds as he succeeded in gripping those two rocks. After he rewarded himself with a deep breath, he reached up, gripped the edge of the peak of the mountain and pulled himself up.

"Made it," he exhaled tiredly. He wiped the sweat off his brow, removed the small rucksack slung over his right shoulder and placed it on the ground. The brown-eyed teen then unzipped the pack and pulled out a mechanical device that resembled an arm-guard. Strapping it around his right arm, he activated it by pressing the middle of a star-shaped pattern on the device that consisted of six blue buttons. The small screen built into the device immediately flashed into life.

* * *

**Booting System...**

**Connecting to Main Database...  
**

**Enter Password**

**9-9-9-0-1-2-3**

**Password Accepted**

**Scan Fingerprint...**

**Approved**

**Welcome back, Corporal Strife of the Pokemon Ranger Corps, codenamed 'LEADER-5'**

* * *

The rookie Pokemon Ranger bit back a grumble at the sight of his codename. That was originally a nickname given to him by his squadmates after he took over as leader after an intelligence-gathering mission went awry. Leon did not even know how his superiors caught wind of that nickname but a day later, it was entered into the database as his codename. He should be glad to be the only Corporal to be given a codename but truthfully, he was not elated in the slightest. He thought that the nickname, especially the '5' part, was an insult to the members of his squadron who lost their lives.

Leon shook his head. "My sentiments can wait," he murmured sternly but if one were to listen closely, he or she would detect a sad undertone to his voice. He unenthusiastically moved the device closer so that his lips were close to the device's speaker. The black-haired boy then instructed, "Send out a number of drones and have them scan the entire perimeter of this mountain."

The device acknowledged his command as it shot out ten small, triangle-shaped drones which immediately flew over the edge of the mountain to begin their work.

While they were off doing their thing, Leon decided that it be in his best interest to take a brief respite given his condition. He sat down cross-legged and took out a bottle of water from his rucksack. The brown-eyed boy tiredly removed the screw cap and greedily drank the contents of the bottle. Suddenly, the flow of water stopped. Wondering why, Leon opened his eyes and checked the bottle. It was empty.

"I guess it's not that surprising since I'm-" He paused as he kept the bottle in his rucksack before he removed a glove and pressed his palm against his forehead. It was slightly warmer compared to three hours ago. "-still sick." All of a sudden, Leon let loose a couple of coughs; accenting his earlier statement that he truly was sick. He pulled his legs closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He groaned, "Why couldn't the call from HQ come **after** I found out I was sick?"

* * *

**_*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *CLICK*_**

_After switching off the alarm clock on the nightstand, Leon retracted his arm and, by extension, his finger back under the covers. __He pushed down the covers slightly and blearily opened his eyes. __Everything was blurry at first but his eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room soon enough. __His eyes fixated upon the ceiling of the room. It was painted with the same tone of blue like the walls that formed the perimeter of the room.__He blinked before he shifted his body to a comfortable sitting position. Like any other normal person who had just woken up, __he began doing some light stretches to loosen up his body. Ever since he joined the Pokemon Ranger Corps, stretching became somewhat of a daily routine to him. __With the blood in his veins flowing smoother, he grabbed the alarm clock and stared at it._

**_8.00 A.M._**

_A frown found its way across his face. "Why did I even bother setting the alarm to go off so early when it is a Sunday of all of days?" he huffed as he placed the alarm clock back on the nightstand.__"Force of habit, I guess." The fact that it was a Sunday meant that he and the rest of the participants of the Zenith League were free for the whole day since it had been decided that no battles were to take place on Sundays. __Leon stared blankly into space as he pondered on whether he should sleep in or not. __He sighed and drawled, "Since I'm currently on leave from Ranger duty, __I suppose a couple more hours of sleep won't do me any harm." __His mind made up, he allowed his head to crash back down onto the pillow and closed his eyes._

_Fate, however, had different plans in store for the Ranger._

_***RING-RIINNNGGGG* *RING-RIINNNGGGG* *RING-RIINNNGGGG***_

_"Oh, for heaven's sake," Leon hissed out vehemently. He swiftly reached under his pillow and pulled out his vibrating cellphone. Flipping it open, he practically yelled into the receiver, "I'm tryin' to sleep here! Call me back later, you fat useless sack of frickin' yanky panky doodle shite!"_

_"My, I didn't know you had such colourful language, Corporal Strife," a familiar voice on the other line commented flatly._

_Upon recognizing the owner of the voice, Leon immediately jerked himself out of bed. "C-Commander F-Flynn, sir," the rookie Pokemon Ranger stammered. "What a-a p-p-pleasant surprise, s-s-sir."_

_"**Right**," Leon's superior hummed. He then queried, "Is that what you really think of me, cadet?"_

_Leon had a right to be sweating buckets at that moment. Commander Flynn only referred to his subordinates as 'cadets' when he was in a super serious or annoyed mood. The black-haired teen brainstormed for an excuse but managed to come up with nothing remotely acceptable. He was reduced to a whimpering mess as he decided to plead for Commander Flynn's mercy._

_"N-No, of c-course n-n-not," Leon stammeringly denied. "Please forgive me, sir. Please don't s-s-suspend me or r-r-revoke my rank. Even if I'm just a Corporal, I-I have invested t-t-too m-much time and e-effort in obtaining that rank. I beg you. D-Don't punish me and send me spiralling into despair. I-I might actually attempt s-s-suicide."_

_His heart skipped a beat when he heard jovial laughter coming from his superior. "It's okay, son," the experienced officer soothed Leon's nerves. "I've been in this business for 40 years so it'll take more than verbal insults to rile me up. Though I gotta admit, that was a very... 'innovative' phrase if I do say so myself."_

_"Erm..., thanks, I guess," Leon hesitantly said. "A-Anyway, why the sudden call Commander Flynn?" The rookie Pokemon Ranger heard his superior sigh; whatever the reason behind the call was, Leon deduced that it must have been serious._

_"Before I give you the reason, I want to let you know that I was outvoted," Commander Flynn told Leon. "As of this moment, you are given a new assignment; to map out the geography of Caelum Forest."_

_Leon was a fairly loyal subordinate and would rarely talk back to his superiors but this time, he felt that the order imposed upon him was a bit unfair. "With all due respect sir," he argued, "I'm on leave from active Ranger duty, not to mention that I'm currently competing in the Zenith League. Though this may seem like a simple task, it's actually quite risky. I heard from one of the locals that wandering in Caelum Forest for a prolonged period of time would have weird effects on my body."_

_"I seriously doubt that some superstition would prevent you from doing your duty, son," Leon's superior chuckled._

_"Why can't you just send another Ranger here, sir?" Leon asked._

_"I did suggest that we do that," Commander Flynn informed Leon. "Unfortunately, there are no other Rangers within a 50-mile radius of your current location so you've been handed the job by default. Believe me, we would've have assigned this job to a more experienced Ranger but we want the info about Caelum Forest in HQ's database as soon as possible."_

_The brown-eyed boy's curiosity was piqued as he prodded, "If you don't me asking, why the sudden urgency, sir?"_

_"After the whole fiasco with the Pokemon Pinchers, we thought things would settle down for awhile," Commander Flynn respired tiredly. "Once again, we were wrong. We have received numerous reports about Legendary Pokemon being captured again. I can't really verify the authenticity of these reports but based on what happened last time, we can't afford to take any chances. It is vital that we receive the data about Caelum Forest's geography quickly."_

_"Sir," Leon whispered gravely, "you don't think that there's really gonna be a war in Caelum City, do you?"_

_"There is a possibility of that happening," Commander Flynn answered. "That would be the worst-case scenario. We need to make preparations, just in case. Anyway, do you accept your given assignment, Corporal Strife?"_

_Leon hung his head down in defeat. "Roger that, Commander Flynn," he exhaled meekly._

_"I knew you wouldn't let me down, son," Leon's superior praised. "I expect all the data to be transferred to the main database by day's end. Good luck."_

_"Thanks," Leon replied unenthusiastically before he pressed the red button, effectively cutting off the connection with his superior. He dropped the cellphone onto the bed and was about to proceed to the bathroom to freshen up until something shiny near the alarm clock caught his eye. Leon promptly strolled over to the nightstand and picked up the aforementioned item. The item was a small silver star he received in recognition of his services in the Pokemon Ranger Corps. Coincidentally, the award was called the Silver Star._

_Instead of gazing upon it proudly, he stared at it with disgust. "I'm already having a bad enough day as it is," he spat out. "The sight of **you** just makes it worse." He then placed the award back to its original position on the nightstand, trudged into the bathroom and slammed the door shut._

_He pressed his back against the door and took a couple of long, deep breaths. As he made his way over to the sink, he noticed that he had trouble walking in a straight line. "I'm probably still sleepy," he mused. He exhaled a shaky breath before he plugged the sink's drainage outlet and turned the faucet in a clockwise manner which resulted in water coming out of it. Leon then cupped his hands, scooped up some of the water that was accumulating in the sink and splashed it on his face. When he opened his eyes, he automatically positioned his gaze towards the mirror. Upon staring at his reflection, Leon noted that something was wrong._

_"Why is my face flushed red?" he wondered as his sights lingered on his reflection. Quickly drying his face with a towel, he immediately pressed his palm against his forehead. He retracted it a second later. "Oh no, not now." He jerked open the drawer and took out the medical thermometer supplied by the hotel management. He gave it a few shakes before he inserted the tip into his mouth under the tongue. _

_"Please don't let me be sick, please, for the love of Arceus, do not let me be sick," Leon chanted in his head. He checked the clock on the wall and noticed that five minutes had passed. Steeling himself, he took out the thermometer and peered at the reading._

_"Perfect," he deadpanned. "Bloody frickin' perfect."_

* * *

Leon closed his eyes and shook his head. His cephalalgia was getting worse by the minute. He did not have any time to ponder about it as the drones he sent out returned. The Pokemon Ranger sluggishly held out his right arm and watched as the drones attached themselves back onto the mechanical device. He did not bother bringing it closer so that he could see the information displayed on the screen. Rather, he settled on listening to device's monotonous voice.

**"Transfer to main database complete," **a distinctly feminine voice stimulated his sense of hearing. **"There is only 90 per cent of the forest you haven't covered yet. Good luck."**

The eighteen-year-old wanted to seriously smash the device into oblivion but managed to reel in his anger. There was really no point in taking out his frustrations on an inanimate object. Combing his hair with his fingers, he shakily stood up and observed his surroundings.

"Now that this section of the forest is done," he thought aloud, "there's just the small matter of me getting down from this mountain." He walked over to the edge and peered downwards; it was long way down. "Hmm..., I might be stuck here for awhile. Way to go, Leon. Way to go."

* * *

If there was anything Seishirou took pride in, it was his ability to be prepared for almost any situation. This allowed him to always be one step ahead of those looking to pull one over him. Seeing their flabbergasted expressions upon them finding out that they had been outsmarted filled him with a sense of smugness and a little bit of accomplishment. He viewed himself as slightly above the average human but nothing more. People tend to interpret his aloofness as him having some sort of superiority complex while in actuality, it was not true in the slightest. Seishirou was not beyond helping other humans but considering his unique circumstances, he would rather have them solve their own problems before coming to him for assistance. It was not as if they had any choice since all encounters were predetermined by fate; at least based on his belief. If those encounters inevitably led up to a meeting with the mysterious teen, then he would not blame those people for cursing their luck. His line of trade was not exactly 'consumer-friendly'.

However, there were those rare days whereby you may discover Seishirou to be in a state of dilemma. If you do discover him in that state; run. Run as fast and as far away as you can because he would often drag other individuals - without their consent - to 'help' him solve whatever problem he was facing. To be honest, they do not, no, could not help him actually. They would love nothing more than to help but Seishirou simply tuned out their voices. Ironically, instead of easing Seishirou's suffering, Seishirou was the one who was making them suffer. Today was no different.

"Hmm..., what should I wear to the oh so **grand** opening of Starlite Articuno?" Seishirou mused as he rummaged through his very large wardrobe with Caedes looking on with exasperation.

The amber-eyed Pikachu was inwardly cursing himself for allowing Seishirou to catch him off guard. His Trainer had been acting strange ever since Seito handed him a plain-looking envelope the day after his matches. Caedes detected a familiar scent on that envelope but he just could not put his finger on it. Anyway, up until an hour ago, Seishirou had been sending him very devious looks. The Mouse Pokemon was initially very suspicious of Seishirou's mannerisms but ultimately dismissed them as another part of his overall eccentric behaviour. Based on his current predicament, he obviously came to regret that decision.

_"Seishirou," _Caedes murmured scornfully. _"Why couldn't you have dragged Aqua into this mess? Despite her being a tomboy, she's still a girl. She's bound to be more... 'fashion savvy' than me."_

For that little comment, Caedes got a dress shirt right in the face.

"I take offence to that," Seishirou muttered as he tried on another dress shirt. "You should be more mindful of what you say, Caedes. Had Aqua been in this room, she wouldn't hesitate to Ice Punch your crotch. Should I inform her of your faux pas?"

A shiver travelled down Caedes's spine as his brain registered Seishirou's threat. _"No," _he replied meekly.

Seishirou smirked in amusement. "Then be a sport and assist me instead of berating yourself for being caught up in this so-called 'mess'," he requested. "The sooner you help me resolve this dilemma of mine, the sooner you may leave. Does that sound appealing to you?"

Caedes sighed and hung his head down in resignation. _"Fine."_

Despite Caedes's best effort in assisting Seishirou, the Pikachu had to endure another hour's worth of 'torture' before his Trainer finally came to a decision on what to wear to his acquaintance's restaurant. Upon Seishirou announcing that he had found the right outfit, Caedes fell down on his back in fatigue. Caedes would love nothing more than to electrocute Seishirou but he was simply mentally exhausted. Even if the Pikachu had some excess energy to spare, he knew that he would be wasting his time because his body would literally prevent his attacks from hitting Seishirou. He vaguely remembered that the last time he sent an Electro Ball flying towards the sapphire-eyed human, he lost control of his body which instantly teleported in front of Seishirou and knocked the Electro Ball away with Iron Tail. After that, Caedes experimented with different attacks and yet they all had the same end result. He ultimately stopped attacking Seishirou altogether and resigned to the fact that his body - it was not exactly **his** but that story is for another time - cared for Seishirou too much to see him hurt. The Mouse Pokemon blinked and returned to the present. He then craned his neck and eyed Seishirou who was busy sprucing up his outfit in front of a large oak-framed mirror.

Seishirou smiled as he gazed upon his reflection. At that moment, one could say that he was as close to feeling giddy like a little schoolgirl as he could possibly get. He was wearing a black V-neck shirt under a white jacket outlined in black. The jacket had rather long coattails and its collar was upturned. He also wore white gloves, a black sash in a manner similar to a matador around his waist and a white _hakama_. He lifted it up slightly to reveal dark blue boots with white soles. For some odd reason, the boots were armoured and were futuristic in appearance.

"Though I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable in fashion, no one has a better fashion sense than obaa-chan," he said in revered tone. Seishirou averted his gaze from the mirror to the exhausted Pikachu on the floor. "Remind me to thank her, Caedes. I sent her the drafts of this outfit only yesterday but I never expected to receive the finished product five hours later. She truly is a remarkable person."

Caedes's eyes snapped open as he lifted his legs and flipped himself up to a standing position. He glared at Seishirou while he questioned, _"Are you telling me that you already had an outfit in mind way before you forced me to endure two hours of torture under the pretence of helping you search for that outfit you're wearing right now?"_

"Maybe, maybe not" was Seishirou's vague reply.

_"Why did you keep it in the wardrobe when you could've separated it from the rest of your old formal clothing?" _Caedes queried through clenched teeth. _"What the point of you faking a dilemma, huh? Do you enjoy tormenting me? What about all that talk at the stadium about you caring for my well-being?"_

Seishirou pinched the bridge of his nose and murmured, "All of those questions are too irrelevant for me to answer. I'm not liking your attitude, Caedes. You're always questioning things instead of just going with the flow. I value you as the leader of this team but as an individual, you're slowly losing my respect."

Caedes clenched his fists and stared at the ground, unable to come up with a suitable retort.

"I see," Seishirou whispered laconically. "If that is all you have to say, then I think we're done here." He swiftly turned away from Caedes, grabbed a metallic suitcase and sauntered over to the door. He reached for the doorknob but suddenly stopped. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Caedes still had not moved an inch. The sapphire-eyed teen resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he frankly spoke, "If you're going to stand there like a statue, make yourself useful and clear up this mess." He then exited the room; feeling no remorse about the way he treated the Pikachu.

The Mouse Pokemon flinched when he heard the door slam shut. He broke his eye contact with the floor and surveyed Seishirou's bedroom. Articles of formal clothing from dinner jackets to neckties littered the room. An unfamiliar emotion suddenly crept into his heart; sadness. He clenched his chest and winced as his heart throbbed with pain.

_"W-Wait just a damn minute," _he gasped. _"I shouldn't be experiencing this emotion." _The Pikachu drew a sharp intake of breath as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. He shakily wiped them away with his arm and fearfully pondered, _"What's happening to me?"_

He was so caught up in his own little world that he did not notice the Pokemon behind him. She had been trying to get Caedes's attention but so far she was unsuccessful. Even when she decided to up her game and use more 'creative' words, the Mouse Pokemon remained as silent as a Noctowl. Getting irritable, she raised a paw and smacked Caedes's shoulder.

The Pikachu's reaction was instantaneous as he let loose a gasp of surprise and spun around to face the one who snapped him out of his thoughts. He inwardly groaned. The Pokemon standing in front of him was not only the most vocal in Seishirou's entire team of Pokemon but also the most observant. Caedes was seriously contemplating on committing suicide at that moment.

_"Are ya deaf or something?" _Aqua accused him in her usual frank tone. _"I've been tryin' to get your attention for past five minutes. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today 'cuz I would've resorted to singeing your fur with Scald if ya continued to ignore me."_ Without warning, she grabbed the Pikachu's left arm and pulled him closer; so close that their snouts were almost touching. She narrowed her eyes as she studied Caedes's face. The fact that the fur below his eyes was slightly damp did not escape her scrutiny. She curiously queried, _"Have ya been... cryin', Caedes?"_

_"Ridiculous," _Caedes scoffed as he snatched his arm back. _"You know full well that I'm incapable of displaying such weakness. Seishirou said so himself."_

The Buizel reminded him, _"Nine years. Seishirou said that nine years ago. Back then, he was an emo punk who cared nothing more than the strength of his Pokemon. He's matured since then." _She then cajoled, _"There's nothing wrong with admitting that his evaluation about ya may have been wrong. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he has reevaluated his opinion on a number of things. He's just too damn prideful to admit it."_

_"You should also know that there's nothing wrong with admitting that your observations may not be all that accurate," _Caedes retorted. He turned away from Aqua and began to pick up the clothing littered on the floor.

Aqua raised an eyebrow; perplexed at his actions. _"What are ya doing, Caedes?"_

_"Executing an order courtesy of **His Majesty**," _Caedes grumbled.

The Water-type Pokemon crossed her arms and tapped her right foot. _"Alright, there's definitely something on your mind so spill it." _Before Caedes could counter her order with a suitable retort, Aqua added, _"Don't cha bother tryin' to deny it. If ya do, I'm just gonna keep on houndin' ya 'til you talk. It'll save us both a whole lot of trouble if ya spill the beans right now."_

Caedes kept silent as he concentrated on folding a white dress shirt. It was difficult given the fact that he had such tiny fingers but that did not stop him from trying to accomplish his given task perfectly.

_"Don't test my patience, Caedes," _Aqua warned him.

Despite her threat, Caedes continued to ignore her in favour of folding another article of clothing. Just when she was about to resort to force, she heard him whisper, _"Why?"_

Aqua frowned. _"Why what?"_

The Pikachu stood up and slowly turned around to face Aqua. He had a solemn look on his face. _"Why does he seek to make me feel miserable all the time?" _he asked her. His eyes drifted to the side. _"Forcing me to help him search for an outfit despite the fact that he already had one in mind, blackmailing me into reorganizing all the books in the library in alphabetical order. Do you need more evidence to support the fact that he treats me worse than the rest of you?"_

_"I hardly think him giving ya some chores is a sign that he treats us better," _Aqua said flatly. _"Ya do know that he has a few screws loose. Yer not the only whose fallen prey to his sadistic sense of humour. It may sound a little unfair but that's just the way he ticks. I learned to take my 'torture sessions' in good stride 'cuz it's just a waste of energy to be mad at him. I've come to enjoy them actually. They're great for relieving stress."_

_"'Relieving stress'?" _Caedes echoed speculatively. _"Hardly. With each passing 'torture session', I find myself growing increasingly frustrated. I think he's intentionally taking advantage of my dislikes. If he is going to put me through those sessions, the least he could do is to give me something physical to do. Just look at you. You have no right to complain 'cuz your 'torture sessions' involve physical labour which suits you just fine. Me? He treats me as though I'm like his personal secretary or something."_

_"What are ya gettin' all whiny for?" _the female Buizel chastised Caedes. _"Ya get to spend some quality time with Seishirou. I should be the one to be complainin', not you."_

Upon hearing her statement, Caedes let out a morose chuckle. _"I do believe Seishirou cares about me," _he began, _"but I think his longing for **him **eclipses his feelings towards me. It's sad but it's the truth. 'Sides, I'm not even supposed to exist."_

_"If yer not supposed to exist, then why are ya here, standin' right in front of me?" _Aqua asked bluntly, getting increasingly agitated with the Pikachu's glum attitude.

_"I'm just a replacement," _Caedes replied sullenly. _"Once **he **comes back, then I would have served my purpose. Seishirou would have no more need for me. My existence... shall become obsolete_. _I honestly don't mind. As long as Seishirou's happy, then I-"_

The sight of Caedes casually admitting that he was worthless repulsed Aqua so much that she snapped. Thoughts of reason were flushed out of her mind as she clenched her left paw into a fist.

***BAM***

Caedes did not know what hit him. Despite having a sixth sense for danger, the negative emotions rendered it useless as Aqua scored a heavy blow to his jaw, sending the Pikachu stumbling and falling backwards. He turned his head to the side and spat out some blood. To be honest, the Mouse Pokemon was surprised that the punch did not dislocate his jaw. After all, in terms of physical strength, very few could compete with Aqua. According to the prideful Buizel, she only considered Champion-level Pokemon to be worthy opponents. Caedes traced his jawline and attempted to get up; the key word being 'attempted'.

Aqua was not done with him; not by a clear mile. The Pikachu saw fit to push her over the edge and the Buizel was bent on showing Caedes the repercussions of his actions. She promptly pounced on the Mouse Pokemon and straddled his waist, effectively cutting off any chance of Caedes escaping. He started to protest and struggle wildly; mostly due to the awkward position he was in. Unfortunately for him, he was quickly pacified as Aqua slammed a paw on his chest and released a low but menacing snarl near his face. The Buizel grinned malevolently when she detected a small ounce of fear in the Pikachu's eyes. Only two other Pokemon had managed to instill fear in Caedes and Aqua was proud of the fact that she too had the ability to do so.

The amber-eyed Pikachu felt a steadily escalating sense of foreboding as his gaze was fixed on her eyes. Her normally round pupils had become mere slits. He knew that there was no reasoning with Aqua when she was in this state but he decided to chance it nonetheless. _"A-Aqua," _he uttered with a neutral tone, _"could you-"_

He would regret that decision almost instantly as a solid punch connected with his right cheek. The force behind that punch was so great that the whiplash effect he felt was equivalent to one suffered when a car rammed into a steel wall. The only difference here was that his head snapped from side to side instead of forwards and backwards. Once his head returned to its original position, Aqua then backhanded Caedes's left cheek with the same amount of force. This not replicated the earlier blow's result but also busted open Caedes's lower lip. The yellow fur below his mouth was slowly starting to turn red as it absorbed the blood flowing from his underlip. Despite this, Aqua did not let up on her assault. In her view, Caedes had not suffered enough yet. She immediately grabbed two fistfuls of the fur on Caedes's chest and jerked his upper body towards her. At the same time, she pulled her head back before she snapped it downwards.

***BANG***

As a result of that headbutt, Caedes's head smashed onto the floor and splintered the wood flooring. It took all of willpower right then and there to not expel a cry of pain. He absolutely loathed to show any form of weakness, especially to his own teammates. The Pikachu inwardly groaned. He was positively sure that Aqua's headbutt had granted him a concussion.

_"Now I know why she drinks ten glasses of milk everyday," _the Mouse Pokemon mumbled under his breath. He hesitantly lifted his eyelids by a fraction but he immediately went wide-eyed at the sight that greeted him. Aqua had a paw cocked back and it was surrounded by wisps of light blue energy that swirled around it. They suddenly solidified and encompassed her paw in a spike of ice. The tip looked very sharp and ready to pierce his soft flesh.

_"No, don't do it," _Caedes attempted to reason with the Buizel.

Aqua callously replied, _"Save it." _She promptly raised her paw highly and swung the ice spike towards his face.

Caedes shut his eyes and resigned to the fact that he was going to die.

***SMASH***

The Pikachu furrowed his brows in confusion. If a sharp object was about to pierce his skin, it was not supposed to sound like a hammer smashing into a mirror. In fact, there should not be any sound at all except his scream of agony. That was the other thing that left the amber-eyed Pikachu completely stumped; he was not screaming. He did not even feel the ice spike enter his flesh. In a calm manner, he opened his eyes again and immediately caught sight of Aqua who was exhaling ragged breaths. He found his head gradually turning to his right as he trailed the length of Aqua's right arm. The Pikachu sucked in a sharp intake of breath when he realized just how close Aqua came to killing him. About three quarters of the ice encompassing her paw ended up being shattered while the paw itself was embedded into the floor.

_"If there is one thing hate above all else in this world," _Aqua snarled, gaining Caedes's attention, _"it's humans or Pokemon who don't give a damn about their lives. Do you expect me to just stand there and watch you spout utter nonsense and feel sorry for yourself? So what if you weren't born into this world via natural means? You should consider yourself lucky to even be given a chance at life, you ungrateful prick. A replacement? Give me a frickin' break. All your thoughts, all your feelings; they are yours alone. You are not some kind of clone, Caedes. You are your own individual. What does it take to make you realize that?"_

At the risk of being pummelled again, Caedes wisely kept his mouth zipped and listened to Aqua's lecture.

_"Do you want to know the real reason Seishirou's always present during your 'torture sessions'?" _she directed a question towards him. Taking his silence as a 'yes', Aqua elaborated, _"If you're thinking he's just there to make your life a living hell, then you're dead wrong. He wants to spend some quality time with you, Caedes. To get to know you better, to strengthen his bond with you. You think I don't know that Seishirou longs for **his **presence? I've seen the faraway look in his eyes. Seishirou misses **him **so much that it's hurting him but at least he's making an effort to move on." _The Buizel suddenly lashed out her left arm and pressed her paw down on Caedes's throat, making him gag slightly._ "As for you, you go out of your way to complain about everything Seishirou does. How do you think that makes him feel, hmm? He's not a machine, Caedes. He has feelings and emotions just like you and me. If you ask me, the way he treats you is pretty much justified."_

The Pikachu's ears drooped down slightly. He felt bad about the way he behaved in front of Seishirou earlier. Not only that, he now regretted about rejecting Seishirou's attempts to better their relationship; even if he was ignorant of the sapphire-eyed human's intentions at those times.

Seeing Caedes's remorseful expression was enough to make Aqua lift her paw off his throat. She then pulled her right paw out of the floor and curled it into a fist. _"You have no idea how close I came to killing you; not just today but on multiple occasions in the past. It would take just a single-" _She momentarily stopped speaking and lightly rapped the left side of the Pikachu's chest with her fist. She resumed, _"-punch to the heart and you'll die a slow and agonizing death. The only thing that's holding me back is my promise to Noctis. Xander and I..., we promised him that we would do our best to support you but you are making it rather difficult for us to do. Talk to Xander. Has **he **got some issues with you. Don't make us break our promise. Noctis would be severely disappointed. Change, Caedes. This is the only piece of advice I'll give you. I won't be so forgiving next time. Understand?"_

_"Yes," _Caedes answered softly. _"I can't promise that I'll change completely but at the very least, I'll try to be more open-minded."_

Satisfied with the Pikachu's response, Aqua's pupils dilated back to their original state as she stood up and took two steps backwards. She then reached down and helped Caedes get back on his feet.

_"Here, ya look like a mess," _the Buizel bantered as she handed Caedes a white towel. _"Welp, since I'm here, I might as well help ya."_ She walked past the Mouse Pokemon and started folding the clothes like a pro. Given her tomboyish and rough demeanour, it was understandable if people thought she to be incompetent at doing housework while in actuality, she was quite good at it.

Caedes opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. Sighing, he closed it back and pressed the towel on his lower lip to stem the bleeding a little. _"Aqua," _he called out to her softly.

Aqua glanced over her shoulder. _"Yeah?"_

_"...Thanks."_

The Buizel's eyes widened a fraction. That word was not synonymous with Caedes so to hear it coming out of his mouth gave her quite a shock. Nevertheless, she quickly regained her composure and replied, _"Yer welcome."_

A rare smile crossed Caedes's expression as he moved forward to carry out his given task, inwardly grateful for Aqua's help.

* * *

"Do make haste, Master Eclipse," Alfred urged his employer. "I'm sure you know that there's no running from this."

Eclipse assured his butler, "There's little need for worry, Alfred. I won't back down from something as insignificant as giving a speech. Besides, even if I did run away, you always seem to be able to find me no matter where I am. I wouldn't want to needlessly burden you." The silver-haired teen swept his hair back with fingers before he flipped his hair. He then looked at his reflection in the large birch-framed mirror in his bedroom and nodded to himself, satisfied with the way his hair turned out. He preferred his au naturel hairstyle over gelled or coiffed hair. In his opinion, people with gelled or coiffed hair were trying to hard to make themselves look presentable.

"I appreciate your concern over me, sir," he replied in his usual frank and honest tone, "but it is simply my duty as a butler to solve any problem that's burdening you. If I cannot even accomplish that, then I'm not worth my salt."

The emerald-eyed boy rolled his eyes at Alfred's last statement. The old man had so many variations of that phrase that it almost made his head spin; 'almost' having a greater importance when compared to the other sixteen words. Eclipse had Seishirou to thank. His many dealings with his enigmatic acquaintance in the past built enough resistance to make him immune to most people's eccentricities, even his own butler.

"Ready the limousine, Alfred," Eclipse ordered. "I need a moment by myself."

"Nerves, sir?" Alfred asked.

Eclipse clicked his tongue. "Do I need to repeat myself, Alfred?" he answered his butler's question with a question of his own.

"Of course not, sir," Alfred responded. "Don't take too long. The launching ceremony is due to begin in exactly one hour." Alfred then exited the room to carry out his employer's given order.

Once Eclipse was sure that Alfred had left, he looked at his palms. They were shaking slightly. He hated it when his butler was right. He then looked at his reflection again and straightaway noticed that one loop of his bow tie was not symmetrical with the other one. Thinking of it as a way to help him forget about his upcoming task, he untied the necktie and thought about the instructions on how to tie it back.

"Let's see," he thought aloud. "First, drape the bow tie around your neck and grasp the ends. Second, cross the longer end over the shorter end. Third, pass the longer end up through the loop, forming a simple and loose overhand knot. Fourth, grasp the loose end and fold the end back to form a loop that is pinched between your thumb and index finger. Fifth, drop the left end of the tie over the front of the bow. Sixth, form a new loop with the left end, just as you did with the first one. Seventh, position the new loop over the front loop facing the opposite direction. Finally, tighten the knot by pulling the two loops together and straighten the bow tie."

His gaze found the mirror again. The bow tie was tied perfectly which made Eclipse mentally pat himself on the back. He raised his hands so that they entered his line of sight and smiled when he found out that they were not shaking anymore. Grabbing a black dinner jacket - specifically chosen by Alfred - hung over the chair beside him, he slung it over his shoulder and ambled towards the door. He reached for the doorknob but stopped when he felt vibrations coming from inside the left pocket of his slacks.

"Only one person would send me a message at a time like this," he muttered as he reached into said pocket and took out his new cellphone. After Seishirou's brother - in his opinion - hustled him of his old and very expensive cellphone, he wanted to get a cheaper one but Alfred persuaded him to buy the newest model to preserve his facade as a stingy and pretentious rich kid. Eclipse failed to see the logic behind the rule that if one was rich, his purchases should be items that befitted his status. He flipped it open and looked at the screen that read 1 MESSAGE. Two choices presented themselves to the silver-haired teen. He could either view the message or delete it. In a very surprising move, he chose the former option. The message immediately popped up on the screen. He read:

_**Good luck with your speech, Eclipse. Hope you enjoy yourself.**_

**_~Seth~_**

Eclipse's lips quirked upwards a bit as he read the message for a second time. Texting a quick reply to the younger teen, he pocketed the cellphone and walked out of the room.

"No sense in keeping Alfred waiting."

* * *

Eating out never really appealed to Seishirou. To him, it was just simple logic. He considered himself to be a very good cook so he saw no need for him to eat food prepared by other people. The sapphire-eyed teen tried to keep an open mind but it was difficult for him to do so when the food served at every restaurant he had visited so far in his nineteen years of existence failed to meet his standards. His dissatisfaction would often lead him to storming into the restaurant's kitchen and giving the chefs a piece of his mind. He would rant that the food was bland, undercooked, too spicy or swimming in garlic. The other patrons would of course take note of Seishirou's complaints and decided to be more critical as they tasted the food again; inevitably, they discovered that he was right. They gradually stopped coming to those restaurants which meant that the restaurants - without customers - had to be closed down. In a nutshell, restaurants and Seishirou do not mix well together.

When Seishirou received an invitation from Eclipse to dine at Starlite Articuno, he first thought of declining but ultimately decided against that. Eclipse was one of the few humans who had an established friendship/rivalry with Seishirou. Though they were far from being best friends, Seishirou saw no harm in attending the event. It had been quite awhile since Seishirou had some one-on-one time with Eclipse. The former was willing to overlook the fact that they were not actually going to be alone. He could just tune out the other patrons' voices.

Following the directions stated in the invitation card, he soon reached his destination. The exterior of the restaurant impressed him slightly. Starlite Articuno was built using a modern combination of Carrara marble, polished granite, concrete, wood and quartz crystals. A sign - carved out of ice crystals - fixed atop the restaurant depicted an Articuno with its wings spread out. The ice-carved Articuno's wingspan read STARLITE ARTICUNO; two glass doors were located beneath the sign. As usual for this kind of ceremony, there was a red ribbon tied in front of the doors. Seishirou's lips twitched in amusement. The sight of Eclipse cutting that ribbon with a wide and fake smile on his face would be the perfect blackmail material.

A small stage had been set up in front of the restaurant. There were three steel chairs arranged in the middle of the stage - one of them was already occupied - and a marble rostrum occupied the front right corner of the stage. The grey-haired man occupying the chair was clad in a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and black tie. Seishirou guessed that he was most probably the Master of Ceremonies or someone involved in the city's administration. Ten rows of ten chairs were positioned neatly opposite the stage; Eclipse having reserved a chair for him in the front row. The latter strolled over to his seat, ignoring all the curious looks that were directed at him.

"It's not my fault that these people are unable to comprehend the higher level of fashion," he drawled in a patronizing tone. He soon reached his seat, eyes immediately drawn to the pamphlet lying innocently on the chair. He also noted that the chair on the left and right of his own were unoccupied. Mentally thanking Eclipse for his thoughtfulness, Seishirou placed his metallic suitcase under the chair, picked up the pamphlet and sat down.

Browsing through the pamphlet, he found out that Eclipse did not actually came up with the idea and concept of Starlite Articuno. Rather, the brains behind the highly successful restaurant chain was a Mr. Carlos Damian while Eclipse became the co-owner about three years ago. To be honest, Seishirou thought that the idea of Eclipse opening up his own restaurant to be highly ludicrous even before he came across the evidence that supported his conjecture. Why would Eclipse bother opening up a restaurant if the fool did not even have a passion for food? In any case, Seishirou resumed his browsing and found out that the first Starlite Articuno - which would become the main branch - was erected in Viridian City, Kanto. Despite the massive competition, the restaurant did very well and the food received rave reviews from renowned food critics such as Ruth Reichl from _Gourmet _and R.W. Apple, Jr. from _The Castelia Times_. The restaurant continued to perform well in the years that followed and now had two Michelin stars under its belt. Despite this, it was still considered second best to Petrus; a three-star Michelin ranking restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay.

Seishirou furrowed his brows. "What is the point of admitting that your restaurant is second best?" he flabbergasted. "There's a fine line between humility and stupidity but this Carlos character is just plain idiotic." He then mused, "Then again, very few restaurants could compete with those owned by _the _Gordon Ramsay. This move would portray him as a man who just loves to cook and make people smile; thus convincing more customers to eat at his restaurants. Hmph, whatever. Compared to Gordon Ramsay, this guy's just another face in the crowd." That opinion sounded rather biased because it was. Other than his grandmother, Seishirou only considered Gordon Ramsay's cooking skills to be better than his own.

He adjusted his glasses before he read on. The success of the first restaurant prompted Mr. Damian to start branching out into different cities and subsequently, into different regions. To ensure the people's satisfaction, Mr. Damian adjusted the menu of each restaurant to fit their respective locations. For example, the Starlite Articuno in Snowpoint City used many ingredients which served to increase a person's heart rate and thus keep them warm in the cold environment. Currently, Mr. Damian had ten restaurants: four in Kanto; two in Johto; three in Hoenn; and one in Sinnoh. He did have one restaurant in Unova but it was closed down due to unspecified reasons. Seishirou could not shrug off the feeling that Eclipse played some part in the shutting down of the restaurant. He made a mental note to query Eclipse about that later. Despite that minor setback, the other restaurants kept going strong. Mr. Damian had by then garnered enough reputation to be featured in many food magazines. Seishirou was so deeply engrossed with reading the pamphlet that he did not register Eclipse's arrival and the fact that it was already ten minutes into the ceremony.

"Now then, on behalf of Mr. Carlos Damian, I would like to invite Mr. Eclipse Silverline to give his speech and officiate the opening of the Caelum City branch of Starlite Articuno," the grey-haired man announced. His announcement was succeeded by applause from the attendees as Eclipse made his way over to the marble rostrum.

Seishirou automatically glanced up at the stage when he heard Eclipse's name being announced. He saw Eclipse scanning the crowd before the latter's gaze connected with his own gaze. The silver-haired teen smiled and nodded at Seishirou which prompted the sapphire-eyed boy to do the same.

Eclipse adjusted the microphone and gripped the opposite sides of the rostrum's slanted top with his hands. With a deep breath, he began his speech. "A very good evening I would like to bid to the Master of Ceremonies, Mr. David Fisher, the Mayor of Caelum City, Mr. Jacob Sanchez and all members of the audience. My name is Eclipse Silverline and I am the one of the owners of this highly successful chain of restaurants. Before I begin, I would like to give you all a message I received from Mr. Damian last night. He said, and I quote, 'I would like to sincerely apologize to the citizens of Caelum City for not being able to attend this event as I am currently on my honeymoon with my wife. I'm sure that some of you won't be so quick to forgive me but I can assure you this; as soon as my honeymoon period is over, I shall make it my top priority to visit Caelum City. I can't wait to see your smiles of joy when you taste the food. See you soon.'." The audience clapped, glad that Mr. Damian was at the very least remorseful at not being able to attend the launching ceremony. Eclipse resumed, "Starlite Articuno began as one man's dream. This man had a vision. To the naked eye, this world seemed perfect but in truth, it is full of conflicts. There shall always be those in society who seek to bring chaos to this world. Their reason? Power? Money? Control? Regardless of their reasons, they are all the same. Their presence fuels the strife in the world. Strife begets sadness. Mr. Damian disliked seeing the sorrowful expressions on people's faces so he sought to relieve people of their sadness; even if it was only temporary."

The fact that Eclipse's fingers were tightly gripping the sides of the rostrum did not escape Seishirou's observation. Either Eclipse was very nervous or very annoyed that he had to speak in such an unnatural manner. In Seishirou's opinion, it was most definitely the latter reason.

The co-owner of Starlite Articuno went on, "One of things that can bring joy to people is food. Food can grant us brief respite from sorrow and sadness. It can empower us; make us feel good about ourselves. Positive emotions are essential for people to have in order to overcome the sadness slowly plaguing this world. Mr. Damian knew this and sought to make his dream a reality. Although he had to endure many hardships, he kept reminding himself that if he failed, he would not only be letting himself down but also the general public. This restaurant behind me is a testament to Mr. Damian's hard work. He does not care for money or profit. He does not want to be appreciated. All he wants is for you to smile and overcome your sadness." He paused as the crowd applauded loudly. Eclipse kept on a straight face. He did not care whether the crowd was receptive to his speech or not. The emerald-eyed just wanted to get it over and done with as fast as possibly. "With that said, I declare that the Caelum City branch of Starlite Articuno to be open for business."

The attendees cheered loudly as Eclipse went back to his seat. The silver-haired teen was once again replaced by Mr. David Fisher. "Thank you for that speech, Mr. Silverline," the Master of Ceremonies extolled. "Now, I would like to once again invite Mr. Silverline to cut the ribbon."

Eclipse stood up and walked over to the ribbon. Alfred then approached him with a silver tray. On it was a pair of scissors which Eclipse grabbed without hesitation. Just as he was about to cut the ribbon, something random occurred.

"Hold it right there!" someone from the audience shouted. Said someone saved everyone the trouble of searching for him as he stood up. Even if he did not stand up, his choice of outfit made him stick out like a sore thumb. He was wearing a blue V-neck shirt with rolled up sleeves, ripped jeans and brown sandals. On a lesser note, he also wore an apron which was stained with dry blood. A butcher, perhaps? Maybe, if he brought along a cleaver with him instead of a chainsaw. Before anyone could question him, he powered up his chainsaw and swung it around a couple of times.

***BZZZZZZZZZZZ***

Chaos ensued as the other attendees went scrambling and chairs went flying. Even the Master of Ceremonies and Mayor ran with their tails between their legs. It was strange that there were no security personnel present at an event where the Mayor was a VIP. Sooner than later, things quietened down. Of the original hundred people who attended the event, only four remained: an annoyed co-owner of a restaurant; an amused butler; a crazy man with a chainsaw; and a bored audience member whose attention went back to his pamphlet.

"Do you have a need for a psychiatrist?" Eclipse asked flatly. "I happen to know a couple of good ones that would be glad to treat your mental disorder."

"Shut up, rich kid!" the crazy man yelled while brandishing his chainsaw menacingly at the emerald-eyed boy. "You have some nerve building your restaurant here. I will go out of business for sure."

Eclipse stared at the man through half-lidded eyes. He really did not need this right now. "Why not just relocate to another location in this _extremely large and spacious _city?" he suggested.

"No way!" the man shot down Eclipse's suggestion. "My restaurant has been operating here for four generations. You think you can just waltz in here and steal my customers? As if, ya snotty punk!"

Eclipse massaged his temples. He could feel a headache coming along. "Shouldn't you be putting the blame on Mr. Damian?" Eclipse countered. "I'm more or less a sleeping partner."

"Who cares?" the man retorted. He then screamed histerically, "Ya won't be gettin' me customers! No, ya won't! No, ya won't! I'll burn and destroy this restaurant! Die, you bastard!" He suddenly broke into a sprint, intent on shredding Eclipse's body in half.

"Walking stick, Alfred," Eclipse requested calmly.

"Certainly, Master Eclipse," Alfred obliged as he handed over a black walking stick to Eclipse.

The co-owner of the Starlite Articuno brand lifted the walking stick and pointed it at the oncoming threat. It was in fact a hollowed-out tube with a single gas-fired bullet and an electric trigger concealed just beneath the handle. The bullet had been specially modified. It would not just kill a man. It would tear him in half.

He fired. The man's left hand was blown out of existence in an instant. The chainsaw, without the extra support, fell and shredded part of the man's right shoulder before wedging itself into the ground. Before the man could even scream in pain, Eclipse appeared right in front of him and swung the walking stick through the air, using it like a sword. The white handle slammed into the man's throat and he crumpled.

Eclipse sighed as he held out his walking stick to his butler who had appeared by his side. He ordered, "Take care of this mess, Alfred."

"Consider it done" was Alfred's quick reply as he took back the walking stick from Eclipse. The butler then adjusted his white gloves before he took to the task of dragging the man's unconscious form to the nearby police station, leaving behind a trail of blood.

The emerald-eyed teen dusted off some imaginary dust from his shoulders before he turned around; a familiar person entered his line of sight almost instantly.

"So much for the grand opening of the Starlite Articuno," Seishirou teased.

Eclipse frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. He said, "I could care less about whether today's launching ceremony was a success or not." He then scrutinized Seishirou from head to toe. The silver-haired Pokemon Trainer commented, "Interesting choice of clothing. As always, it contrasts perfectly with mine."

"You're right," Seishirou drawled in agreement. "For some reason, the black-and-white theme has a rather prevalent presence whenever you and I cross paths."

A halfhearted glare was sent Seishirou's way. Eclipse mocked, "Isn't it fate?"

In return, Eclipse received one of Seishirou's signature smiles. It was good-natured smile overall but it contained elements of mystery and mockery. Instead of responding to Eclipse's jab at his philosophy on life, Seishirou asked, "Is my invitation still valid?"

"Hmm...?"

"You did invite me to dinner after all," Seishirou reminded his emerald-eyed acquaintance. "Do you intend to go back on your word?"

Eclipse closed his eyes and scoffed, "Of course not. I did say that Starlite Articuno is open for business." He then opened his eyes and gazed at Seishirou, amusement reflected in his emerald orbs. "I hope you don't mind a quiet atmosphere."

Seishirou smirked. "Restaurant for two, huh?"

Eclipse gave Seishirou his own smirk. "Sounds appealing, right?"

"Shall we?" Seishirou posed him a question.

"After you," Eclipse answered.

* * *

"What shall you two gentlemen be having this evening?" a brunette waitress asked politely.

Seishirou looked through the menu several times and was impressed. There were about 50 items in total; not too little and not too much. It would lessen the pressure on the kitchen but it would not allow the kitchen staff to slack off either. The nineteen-year-old found his gaze wandering about the interior of the restaurant. The walls were painted in soft tones of blue and green which had the effect of making the space more open and airy. He then looked at the silverware. His fork, spoon and the handle of his knife seemed to be made of gold but the gold colour could have just been sprayed on for all he cared. At first glance, he could tell that his plate was made from the finest china.

"I would like to have the Asparagus and Broccoli Soup for an appetizer," Eclipse ordered. "Entree-wise, I'll have the Classic Sirloin. As for dessert, I'll take the Chocolate Souffle. Give me a bottle of red wine."

The waitress nodded and jotted all that down in her PDA. She then looked at Seishirou. "You, sir?"

Seishirou propped an elbow on the table and rested his head on his palm. Without taking his eyes of Eclipse, he ordered, "Creamed Mushroom Soup, Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs, Cheese Cake and white wine."

"Got it," she said. "I'll be back with some garlic bread." The brown-haired girl then left.

Eclipse sighed and grumbled, "Still keeping with the black-and-white theme, I see."

Seishirou chuckled. "Of course." He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. Leaning back into his chair, he wondered aloud, "Aren't you going to tell me how someone like you became the co-owner of Starlite Articuno?"

"...Short or long version?"

"Normally, I'd go for the long version," Seishirou told Eclipse, "but I think I will go for the short version."

"Whatever," he stated. "While I was training my Pokemon, we accidentally broke a window of one of his restaurants. I was still immature back then so even though Mr. Damian had a right to be angry at me, we got into a heated argument. To resolve the issue, we agreed to have a Pokemon battle."

Eclipse's guest raised an eyebrow. "The stakes?"

The emerald-eyed teen glared at his plate and mumbled, "If I won, I would be granted full ownership of Starlite Articuno but if I lost, I would have to pay for the damaged window."

"That hardly seems fair," Seishirou deadpanned.

"I thought so too," Eclipse agreed as their waitress arrived with some garlic bread. He promptly grabbed a piece from the small basket and took a bite. His face scrunched up for a moment. "Too much garlic. Anyway, I contemplated on losing but the thought of losing to a restaurateur did not sit well with me at all. We battled, I won. I realized the severity of the situation almost immediately. I haven't a clue on how to run a restaurant and I wanted to remain a Pokemon Trainer. He took notice of the dilemma I was in and came up with a compromise. I would become a sleeping partner in his business and the profits shall be split evenly between us. That's it."

"In conclusion, he granted you a steady and continuous income of money," Seishirou surmised. "That's how you were able to afford your butler's services, right?"

Eclipse merely nodded. He grabbed the jug of water and poured some into his glass. He emptied his glass in three gulps.

The waitress returned again, this time with their appertizers and bottles of wine. The unique thing about the soups offered at this restaurant was that they were served in sesame seed buns instead of bowls. The two teens immediately noticed that the waitress had given the wrong bottles of wine; Eclipse got the bottle of white wine while Seishirou received the bottle of red wine. The solution to this problem was clear to both of them. In unison, they unscrewed the bottles of wine and poured them into their respective glass goblets. They then switched goblets. Problem solved. The two friends raised their goblets to each other before they tasted their wine.

"Adequate, I guess," Seishirou remarked.

Seishirou's acquaintance hummed in agreement. He casually scooped up a spoonful of his soup and inserted the spoon into his mouth, allowing the flavour of the asparagus and broccoli to slide down his tongue. "It's been nine years since you retired," Eclipse stated. "What have you been doing with all that free time?"

Seishirou gazed at his reflection in his wine. He swirled the contents of the goblet as he thought of a suitable answer to Eclipse's question. Placing the goblet back on the table, he looked at Eclipse and vaguely responded, "I've become a merchant."

"What's your line of trade?" Eclipse prodded.

The sapphire-eyed teen smirked and answered, "Wishes."

Eclipse eyed him speculatively. "Am I supposed to believe that?"

Seishirou shrugged as their entrees arrived. "I could care less about whether you believe it or not," he drawled. "You've always known that I'm... different from most humans so when you think about it, it's not all that impossible."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Eclipse said as he sliced his sirlion steak into smaller pieces. His statement brought out a chuckle from Seishirou. The emerald-eyed Pokemon Trainer pursed his lips and gave Seishirou a half-lidded glare. "What's so funny?"

Seishirou put his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers. He regarded Eclipse with amusement. "Tell me something, Eclipse," he purred in a slightly seductive way. "You've met my brother, right?"

Eclipse huffed and shook his head. He murmured, "I could never forget that little devil even if I wanted to. He left behind a very big impression."

The grin on Seishirou's face grew wider, making Eclipse very uncomfortable. He suddenly asked, "Were his lips soft and moist?"

That question caught Eclipse off guard. He dropped his knife and fork in shock. The shell-shocked co-owner of Starlite Articuno slowly looked up and met Seishirou's gaze. All traces of humour were gone from his guest's expression. Seishirou was now regarding him with utmost seriousness.

"N-Now now, don't you dare accuse me of outraging his modesty," Eclipse warned him. "He was the one who came onto me. I-"

"Just answer the question," Seishirou interrupted.

Eclipse's face started to go red with embarrassment. He looked down at his steak and clenched his fists as he meekly answered, "...Yes, they were."

A smile replaced the frown across Seishirou's features. "Good."

Eclipse spluttered and almost choked on the piece of steak he was chewing. "How is that 'good'?" he asked in bewilderment.

"It just means I'm feeding him right," Seishirou happily stated. "Anyway, let us deviate back to the earlier question. Upon you meeting Seito, he conducted some business with you, am I right?" Seeing Eclipse nod his head, Seishirou continued, "What did you ask him to do?"

"I asked him to give you that invitation card," Eclipse answered truthfully. He added, "He wanted my cellphone as compensation for his services."

Seishirou grasped his chin between his thumb and index finger before he queried, "Did something... out of the ordinary happen after that?"

Closing his eyes, Eclipse thought deeply about what had happened after his first match. Alfred picked him up from the stadium and they went straight back to the mansion. He trained his Pokemon for a while before he had a very filling dinner. He then retreated into his bedroom to wash up before going to bed. Normally, he would read the daily newspaper before retiring for the night but on that particular night, he felt more tired than usual. He practically trudged into the bathroom before he started to undress himself, starting with his gloves. Upon removing them, he literally stopped breathing as he gazed at his right palm. There was a diagonal cut on it and blood was oozing out of the wound.

Eclipse opened his eyes and informed Seishirou about the strange incident.

Seishirou nodded and took a bite of his cheese cake. "And what did my brother say would happen when the wish and price aren't of equal value?"

The silver-haired teenager's eyes widened as he recalled Seito's cryptic warning.

* * *

_"According to my onii-san, the punishment involves blood. The balance of the universe has been affected so compensation in the form of either the client's or the granter's blood is required to restore the balance."_

* * *

Eclipse snapped himself out of his reverie and looked at his guest who was busy enjoying his dessert. His gaze then travelled downwards to his own dessert. The chocolate souffle had sunk. Expelling a sigh of agitation, he raised a hand to request for another chocolate souffle.

After washing down his cheese cake with two goblets of wine, Seishirou reached into his jacket, pulled out a packet of cigarettes and placed them on the table. He initially thought of bringing his _kiseru _but decided against it in the end because he was afraid that he might accidentally drop it. The cigarettes were home-made and thus were free of any carcinogens. It also explained why the packet did not have a symbol of any notable brand of cigarettes.

Seishirou took one out and produced a lighter with a snap of his fingers. "Do you mind?" he asked Eclipse as he fiddled with his lighter.

His host shrugged and gave him the green light. "Go ahead."

Seishirou put one end of the cigarette into his mouth and lit the other end with his lighter. He sucked in, letting the sweet, slightly vanilla taste of the tobacco roll over his tongue. The enigmatic teen then formed a 'O' with his mouth and blew rings of smoke into the air.

The other occupant of the table eyed the cigarette with distaste as he took out a handkerchief and started fanning it across his face. Even if the cigarettes were home-made, Eclipse did not want to take any chances.

"Something against smoking?" Seishirou asked in a bored tone.

"No," Eclipse denied. "I just see it as a sign of weakness."

"I see," Seishirou muttered. He reached for his metallic suitcase under his chair and laid it flat on the table. Giving it a 180 degree spin, he slid it across the table towards his host who caught it easily. "Your request," Seishirou informed Eclipse as he tapped ash into the ash tray.

Eclipse reached into the left breast pocket of his dinner jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Putting them on, he asked, "Combination?"

"Six-six-six," Seishirou responded.

***CLICK***

The suitcase seemed to be a voice command device. Eclipse braced himself and opened the suitcase. He was immediately assaulted by a dark purple light but thanks to his sunglasses, his eyes did not suffer any damage. He gazed at the object inside the suitcase and permitted himself the rare luxury of a genuine smile. After he closed it, he placed the suitcase on the floor and slid it underneath his chair.

"The price?" Eclipse carefully queried.

"You learn fast," Seishirou remarked as he placed a tape recorder on the table. He then pressed the red button that had the word 'REC' displayed on it.

Eclipse frowned as a smirk appeared on Seishirou's face.

The merchant of wishes drew on his cigarette. The tip glowed.

"Information. That's the price."

* * *

**Quite happy with this chapter. From the speed of the update, you guys could probably tell that I enjoyed writing this chapter compared to the last one. **

**Leon Strife belongs to Soldier of the Future. (To those curious, Leon looks like a black-haired version of Kellyn from Shadows of Almia, not the anime. Therefore, he looks very youthful and cute for an eighteen-year-old)  
**

**Eclipse Silverline belongs to KingFatMan25. (For some strange reason, I keep imagining Eclipse to be a taller version of Toshiro Hitsugaya. Am I the only one who thinks so?)**

**If you guys are free, a review would be much appreciated.**

**Arigatou and sayonara.  
**


	11. Chapter X : Guidance from a Gambler

**The events of this chapter took place in sync with the events of the previous chapter (the second half of it..., to be more precise). A member of a region's Elite Four will be making an appearance but not in a battle or anything along that line (you can probably guess that just by looking at the title... or not since it's rather vague) though one of his/her Pokemon will be present as well.**

**I'm gonna stop right there before I reveal too much.**

**Happy reading.**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon is not under my ownership. The franchise belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo.**

* * *

If the thought of moving to Caelum City ever crossed one's mind, he or she would have to take two factors into serious consideration before making the final decision: the sheer difficulty in purchasing a residential unit in the highly populated city and the extremely hectic, busy atmosphere. The fact that these two components proved to deter would-be residents from becoming actual residents was really not all that bewildering given that Caelum City placed second in a recent poll to determine the ten most livable cities places in the world; unsurprisingly, Castelia City came in first. What set Caelum City apart from Castelia City... and the rest of the world in general was that Sunday was also considered a working day by the residents of the former city. This directly contributed to the busier than usual atmosphere that the people there had grown accustomed to. The work policy caused quite a number of complaints to erupt here and there. Fortunately, the city council came up with a compromise to quell the tension among the disgruntled residents; Sunday would still remain a working day but now the people working nine to five jobs only need to work half the time. This new policy was also applied on Mondays and Tuesdays. As an added bonus, the city council also gave them the luxury of choosing whether they want to work in the morning or evening. It was a first-come, first-served basis so those who were late in applying for the evening shift were automatically slotted to work the morning shift. Some were left rather bitter about the decision but accepted it nonetheless. All in all, both parties - the city council and the residents of Caelum City - were satisfied with the way the complaint was addressed.

Aside from the almost identical infrastructure, Caelum City had one other thing in common with its sister city; they were world-renowned sports hubs. If you look at cities like Viridian City or Jubilife City, other sports like baseball, tennis, basketball and football tend to take a back seat to Pokemon training. They were given minimal coverage on television for Arceus knows why. In complete contrast, these 'minority' sports received equal treatment as Pokemon training in both Caelum and Castelia City. The stadiums and arenas built in these two cities had been used to not only accommodate Pokemon battles but battles without the involvement of Pokemon as well. For example, the Angel Stadium in Caelum City was the venue of the final baseball match of a best-of-seven playoff between the Castelia City Yankees and the Caelum Angels. With the partisan crowd behind them, the Caelum Angels came from behind to win the match 5-4 and, by extension, the championship series 4-3. Their victory over their closest rivals could have been made even sweeter if the basketball team had not lost their championship series - they were obliterated 4-0 by the CC Chasers - but alas, it was not meant to be. On the plus side, the defeat gave the basketball team some incentive to work even harder for next year's tournament. It would have been boring if they did not have some competition.

Up until a week ago, Castelia City had a certain description tagged on that would always ensure its superiority over Caelum City; the former city had always served as the venue where the Unova Pokemon Champion would defend his or her title from those that had the bravery to pit their Pokemon against the Champion's. Lots of people from all over Unova converged upon Castelia City to witness the spectacle. They would then return back from whence they came with memories of not only the battle between the Champion and challenger but also of the city itself. The chances of them journeying back to Castelia City were high since they wanted to relive the memories they forged there. They once again wanted to experience the food, see the famous landmarks such as the Skyarrow Bridge and do pretty much everything else that made a good impression on them during their first visit.

The residents of Caelum City longed for something that would put them on the map. Sure their home had some amazing and unique infrastructure besides being the first city to be dubbed an 'eco-city' but to the residents, it was not enough to usurp Castelia City from the top. While the city council did not really care whether or not Castelia City was better than Caelum City, the majority did. They were getting sick of hearing people babble on and on about how great Castelia City was. Though Caelum City did get its fair share of praises, it was mostly comparisons to the other city. The citizens wanted Caelum City to host an event so spectacular that it all but ensure that Caelum City finally stepped out of Castelia City's shadow. None of them would have expected that their prayers to be answered so soon.

Late last year, the Pokemon League Organization announced their plans for holding a world-level Pokemon tournament - it was known as Project Z at that time - in about six months' time and that they were accepting bids from any city that was interested in hosting the event. A chance to eclipse Castelia City presented itself and the residents were not willing to let this golden opportunity slip between their fingers. Knowing the city council's pragmatic approach when dealing with every issue, chances were that they would not submit a bid with the excuse of not having the appropriates facilities, especially the stadiums, necessary to host the tournament. Therefore, many NGOs submitted multiple memorandums which more or less detailed the benefits of hosting such a prestigious event. Slowly but surely, the members of the city council gave in to the public's demands and made an official bid to the Pokemon League Organization. The results were announced a week later; Caelum City won, narrowly edging out Castelia City.

In complete contrast to the jubilation felt by the residents of Caelum City, the members of the city council were feeling the exact the opposite; together with the other unresolved issues, they now had to start making the necessary blueprints to ensure that Caelum City would be ready to host the tournament by July next year. As they were pragmatic people, they weren't afraid of admitting their faults. They knew that they were rather green in this sort of matter so they hired several people who had experience organizing Pokemon tournaments to act as consultants. Things proceeded smoothly as they got the essential facilities like the stadiums and hotels up and running with one month left to spare. Word about Caelum City's hosting of a world-level Pokemon tournament spread like wildfire and it was only a matter of time before people from all over the world started to congregate at the City of Heavens. Just like that, the term 'The City That Never Sleeps' which was always associated with Castelia City was snatched away by its sister city; at least until the Zenith League was over and done with.

In keeping with its status as a sports hub, sporting events were held almost everyday, predominantly on weekends but some were permanently slotted to take place during weekdays. When it was announced that there would be day-offs for the competitors of the Zenith League especially on Sundays during which most of the residents had a lot of free time on their hands, it was expected that they voiced out their displeasure. They were used to going to live sporting events almost daily so they were of the thought that the decision made by the tournament organizers would be totally unfair to them. However, their feelings about the decision took a 180 degree turn when they received a calm explanation about the fact that all of the participants weren't from Caelum City and thus were unaware of the policies enforced in Caelum City. To the Pokemon Trainers taking part in the Zenith League, their job of providing support to their battling Pokemon was physically and mentally taxing so competing on consecutive days was close to impossible. Along the same vein, all of them had been brought up to view Sunday as a day of rest and relaxation. Ultimately, the residents ended up the losers in the matter. Allowing their actions to be influenced by their fiery emotions was never really a smart move on their part as it only made the bitter disappointment that followed much harder to swallow.

Bitterly disappointed citizens aside, there were plenty of leisurely activities available to the Pokemon Trainers. They could go kart racing on a scaled-down version of the Caelum International Circuit, go scuba-diving in the sea or even release some leftover tension in the different gyms spread throughout the city like Fitness First or True Fitness. For those less adventurous types, they could go rollerblading or skateboarding in many of the skateparks built in specific locations in the city. If activities requiring them to expend large amounts of their energy did not appeal to them, then they could simply spend their time in Caelum City Park. Despite Caelum City's ever-growing population, the park never failed to accommodate its visitors as it had the proper facilities and space for them to enjoy themselves.

In said location, one individual was doing just that, though it was hard for anyone to tell if he was enjoying himself given that he was not an expressive person. Still, the corners of his lips were curved slightly upward, giving passers-by the impression that he was fine with spending time away from the battle arena. Yes, this person was a Pokemon Trainer though he still had not reached the stage where the mere mention of his name would make people's minds wander in awe and respect. When that happens (he was sure that he will reach that goal someday), the quaint little town of Nuvema would definitely receive much more attention from the whole of Unova than it did presently. The other visitors found him seated on one of the many benches, his rapt attention focused solely on a camera he held in his right hand. He wore a blue shirt with an orange stripe at the end of his neck, and a jacket over that. The jacket was orange with a blue stripe going down on both ends of his sleeves and had red ends. His jacket's collar was raised, displaying a thick red stripe on the inside of the collar. With that, he also wore tan-coloured jeans and blue and orange shoes with white laces. In terms of accessories, he had a Xtransceiver (1) strapped on his right wrist and a pair of sunglasses which rested against his bangs.

The boy's eyes never left his newly-purchased camera even as he leaned back against the wooden bench and held out the camera towards the Sun. He pushed the sunglasses down over his eyes to not only block the Sun's rays from damaging his eyes, but to also observe his new investment. It was a Canon Powershot S95, a high-end 10.0 megapixel compact digital camera that was released last year. It was the eleventh model of the Compact S series, and as such boasted new additional features from its predecessor, including a thinner body, improved image stabilization, an automated HDR shooting mode, 720p HD-quality video recording with stereo sound, and a more ergonomic finish and controls. To round things off, the Canon Powershot S95 featured a Tracking Autofocus function, enabling it to track and focus on moving subjects. The boy was eager to test said function and as if fate had intended it, a Pidove suddenly flew right past his head. He put his fast reflexes as a Pokemon Photographer to good use as he aimed the camera at the Tiny Pigeon Pokemon and moved his finger over the 'capture' button.

***SNAP***

The camera's screen lit up almost immediately. The boy brought the camera closer and pushed his sunglasses up to see the image better. Blurriness was absent from the image as it displayed the Pidove executing a left turn with its wings spread out. The picture had almost no pixellation and the boy could see the absolute detail of the Pidove's black, grey, and white feathers. He smiled as he turned off the camera.

"Looks like I made a pretty good investment," Trip said as put the camera back into its casing and looped the strap over his left wrist. "Maybe I should reward myself more often whenever I achieve a good result. In this kind of atmosphere, it's important for me to stay motivated."

The Nuvema Town native almost never splurged on anything extravagant or extremely expensive whenever he found the time to do some shopping; he preferred to buy things that were less pricey and ordinary. As long as the stuff he bought were beneficial, then he saw no real reason to change the way he did things. In his own words, he wanted his life to be rather 'basic', much like his battle style. This did not mean that he was not flexible in terms of the way he ran his life as there were days where he would make an exception, like today for instance.

On the back of achieving a good result for his first match in the Zenith League, he decided to scour the city in search of any item that would help derive greater joy from his hobby. In truth, he did not consider a draw to be a 'good' result per se but given the magnitude of his opponent who had won a Pokemon League before and the fact that this was the first time he had ever competed on the global stage, he felt that there was no reason for him to allow bitterness to consume him for failing to record a win. Coincidentally, he wanted the pictures he had taken with his old camera to be processed so in a way, he would be killing two birds with one stone. This would free up his considerably empty schedule even more but he trusted himself to be able to find some beneficial activities to fill in his Sunday schedule. Some of his relatives had said that it was simply Trip's idiosyncrasy to never want to goof off like any other fifteen-year-old.

Now, finding an electronic store was a simple enough task but Trip knew that the ones in the shopping mall would be crowded with people since almost all of the residents here used high-end devices like tablet computers and thus required them to be sent in for proper maintenance. Therefore, Trip made up his mind to do things the hard way - he would search for an electronic store that was located outside of Caelum City's many shopping malls. Though this decision meant that he would have to waste a lot more time than usual searching for the place, he would rather do it than deal with such a loud and hectic atmosphere that would surely greet him if he set foot in any of electronic stores in the shopping malls. He was a patient person but not so much when faced with cramped spaces and boisterous people.

It took him awhile but he finally found one in the residential district. It was located on the ground floor of a three-storey building; the two upper floors functioned as the owners' residence. The store was easily missable except to those who were familiar with the area, which would explain the reason as to why the overall ambience of the place was very different from the ones in the shopping malls. This suited Trip just fine. He could shop at his own pace without having to worry about the store overcrowding the store. He expected it to be just a routine purchase but when he emerged from the store, he failed to comprehend just one thing - the complementary gift that came along with his purchase.

* * *

_The first thing that Trip did when he entered the store was to let his eyes wander about the interior of the establishment. It was... quaint and ordinary, much like his hometown. Discounting the aged woman behind the counter who flashed him a kind smile, there were about half a dozen people in the store. Reciprocating the woman's greeting with a smile of his own, Trip decided then and there that he would visit the place whenever he could during his campaign in the Zenith League. It was one of those rare establishments that did not try too hard to attract customers as evidenced by the store's simple design, both interior and exterior. Simplicity seemed to be the place's theme, and the theme must have had special appeal as the store had gained yet another regular customer._

_The fifteen-year-old ambled towards the counter and placed his green camera on its surface. He made eye contact with the grey-haired woman and smiled as he politely requested, "Excuse me ma'am, but could you please process the pictures in this camera?" He added, "If it's not too much trouble, I want those pictures to be ready as soon as possible."_

_"Why, of course dear," she replied kindly. "Unlike the old days, I'll be done processing your photos in a few minutes. You know how advanced humanity is these days. Now, progress is good and all, but we should not forget the simplicity of the past. After all, without the past to serve as a basis for progress, progress would simply not be possible. I try to bring a sense of nostalgia to my customers through my nice, little store here. Do you think that this daring move is working, dear?"_

_ "...I don't know since this is first my time here, ma'am," Trip answered after a slight moment of hesitation, "but your bold approach has enticed me into coming back here for a second visit. This place reminds me a bit of hometown actually."_

_The owner of the store muffled a jovial laugh. "It certainly is rare to see such an honest youngster like yourself," she remarked. "Most of them would just agree with what I say as they are afraid of hurting my feelings. I may be old but that doesn't mean I'm not made of strong stuff like you young people." She suddenly paused. "...Oh dear, it would seem that you've caught me in one of moments. I'm sorry, dear. It's just one of the... um... 'pet peeves' of getting older."_

_Trip raised his hands up to chest level. "It's fine. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you had continued," he replied. Actually, the blond-haired teen would have minded but since he was brought up to respect his elders, he would just have to disregard his own feelings on the matter._

_"How very kind of you, dear," the bespectacled woman chuckled. "Feel free to browse around. I'll let you know when I'm done, um..." She realized that she did not know Trip's name so she inquired him about that._

_"Trip," the Nuvema Town native enunciated._

_She smiled at him as she adjusted her glasses. "That's a fine name you have there, dear," she commented. "I'll be right back." She promptly took Trip's camera and entered the room behind her and slid the door shut ever so gently._

_Though she mentioned that she would only be gone for a few minutes, Trip did not want to wait for her by standing idly on the same spot. Instead, he turned away from the counter and started to look for an item to purchase. Based on his observations of the prices of multiple gadgets displayed in the store, he could afford almost anything there. He browsed through the laptops, the MP3s and the portable media players but they just did not appeal to him. He already had a clear idea of what he wanted to purchase and soon found himself standing before the very gadget itself._

_"There you are," Trip suspired, inwardly jumping with excitement. "The Canon Powershot S95." He pulled out his wallet and checked how much money he had. "Hmm..., seven-hundred Pokedollars, huh? That's more than enough." They were displayed in a wide range of colours but Trip was not one to be indecisive as he immediately grabbed the red one and headed for the counter. When he got there, the door of the room which the owner had disappeared into slid open. The bespectacled woman stepped out with his old camera in one hand and some photos in the other._

_"Here you go, dear," she said as she handed them to Trip. Eyeing the red camera in his hand, she inquired, "Should I include that red camera you have there in the bill?"_

_Trip merely nodded and placed the Canon Powershot S95 on the counter, including five one-hundred dollar bills with it. He waited patiently as he observed her fiddling with an antique-looking till. The boy could tell that the till was crank-operated since he had visited a numerable amount of antique shops the past year._

_The owner of the quaint, little shop pulled down the handle of the till which automatically unlocked the drawer. She pulled it out slightly and placed the five banknotes into the compartment which kept the hundred dollar bills. She then reached into another compartment and took out a single banknote worth ten Pokedollars. Shutting the drawer close, she held out the change towards the buyer who gently plucked it out of her hand. Turning her attention to Trip's purchase, she dexterously packaged the electronic device before putting it in a blue reusable shopping bag._

_"Come again soon, deary," she warmly said before she pushed the shopping bag towards Trip._

_Her customer bit back a grumble, slightly annoyed that she was calling him by that term of affection. "I suppose," he replied, managing to suppress the brusqueness in his tone. He gave the woman a grateful nod before he grabbed the shopping bag, turned around and began to take short, swift steps towards the store's entrance/exit._

_"Oh, hold on a minute there," the bespectacled woman suddenly called out, effectively stopping Trip in his steps. "I forgot to give you your complimentary gift."_

_The blond-haired kid regarded the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Complimentary gift?"_

* * *

Rummaging through the shopping bag, Trip took out said complementary gift and stared at it. No matter how much he racked his brain for answers, he could not comprehend the reason as to why the item in his hand was included as a complementary gift to a camera.

"This is not basic at all," Trip grumbled, drumming his fingers on his thigh. "Who in their right mind would give a sachet of Super Cat Food as a complimentary gift? I would understand if these were given away at Poke Marts but at an electronic store? If she wanted me to come back, she could have just given me a free charger or something like that." He dropped the packet on the bench before he palmed his face. "Ugh, never in my life would I have thought that I'll be getting a headache from something as irrelevant as Pokemon food."

He huffed in exasperation as he forced himself to calm down. "Well, no use crying over spilt milk," he mumbled. He regarded the sachet of Pokemon food next to him and picked it up. "I know I shouldn't be throwing or giving this away since it'll make me look ungrateful but I just don't have any Pokemon that can ingest this treat without suffering indigestion. Based on the label, only Pokemon of the Cat species would find this food edible. What to do, what to do?"

_"Purr..."_

As if on cue, sound waves passed through Trip's auditory canal and banged against his eardrums. This caused vibrations to be emitted as they travelled along the malleus, the incus, the stapes and the cochlea. Reaching the brain via the auditory nerve, the main organ of the nervous system registered the sound as a pitiful mewl. His interest piqued, the blond-haired Pokemon Trainer leaned the upper half of his body across the bench and peeked over the side. He encountered a depressing and sad sight; he saw a stray Purrloin which had its head hung low as it stared at the ground. Trip could tell that the Pokemon was a stray given its slightly dirty coat of fur and the fact that it was on the thin side.

"Had this Purrloin been sitting there all this time?" Trip wondered aloud. "Strange, I've never noticed it before." A sigh escaped his lips as he lightly palmed his forehead. "Of course I wouldn't have noticed it. I was too preoccupied with admiring my new camera."

Out of curiosity rather than worry, Trip knelt down in front of the weak-looking Purrloin. This act of movement prompted the Purrloin to glance up at the human but only for moment as its line of sight was drawn back to the ground. Frowning slightly, Trip reached out to pet the Dark-type Pokemon. Normally, strays like the Purrloin would flinch upon contact but this one simply allowed Trip's hand to stroke its back. The Pokemon Photographer deduced that even if the Purrloin wanted to respond to him, it simply did not have enough energy to do it. He could not even feel or hear it purr.

Trip withdrew his hand and patted it on his jeans. He scratched the back of his head as though he was exasperated with the whole situation and mused, "Well, I can't exactly allow it to starve now, can I? It's simply human nature to suddenly feel the urge to offer other creatures our assistance." He grabbed the packet of Pokemon food he left on the bench and lightly ripped an edge open.

The Purrloin reacted almost instantly as it glanced up at the human. It took a couple of deep whiffs as its eyes settled on the sachet in the human's hand. However, the Dark-type Pokemon stopped short of begging for the food; it maintained a neutral expression while it kept its eyes locked onto its item of interest. Its stomach growled, eager to be filled with sustenance. The Devious Pokemon watched as the human sprinkled some food pellets onto his hand and held out the hand towards it. Not willing to fully trust Trip, it took the Purrloin quite a while before it leaned forward to sniff the food pellets. Giving one of them an experimental lick, the Purrloin deigned the taste of the food to be satisfactory as it started chowing down on the edible material.

Its hunger was evident as it gobbled up the food pellets in ten seconds flat. Licking its maw clean of any remaining food crumbs, it settled down on its haunches and looked at Trip again. It was as if the Purrloin wanted something.

Trip quirked up an eyebrow. "Do you want some more?"

_"Loin," _it said as it shook its head slightly. It then raised a paw and pointed at an object behind Trip.

The Trainer glanced over his shoulder and saw a drinking fountain. He realized then and there that the Purrloin wanted him to fetch it some water. The thought of the Purrloin commanding him as if he was its servant did not sit well with Trip at all so he decided to voice his displeasure. "Don't push your luck, you devious creature," he chided. "You should count yourself lucky that I even bothered to stop and give you some food."

The Purrloin simply chuckled, shut its eyes and gave Trip a seemingly good-natured smile. It did not seem disappointed that Trip did not comply with its command.

Despite having some reservations about how the Purrloin was truly feeling after having its request denied in abrupt fashion, Trip reached out to pet it again. He should not have forsaken his suspicions about the Pokemon as the Purrloin's smile had morphed into a faint yet devious grin. A second later, Trip was nursing his right index finger which had a noticeable bite mark, courtesy of the Devious Pokemon. He glared balefully at the Dark-type Pokemon.

"You little devil," he hissed. He grew even more livid when the Purrloin sent him a sweet smile, a sign that it was mocking him. Before he could choke the life out of the Purrloin, he heard a soft chuckle which prevented him from carrying out the dark deed.

"I must say," a voice began, "it truly is a sight for sore eyes to see a young lad such as yourself disregard the bad reputation Dark-type Pokemon possess and offer one some sustenance. Though you performed a good deed, Dark-types are notorious for their devious nature and taking longer than other types of Pokemon to warm up to humans. Thus, you should really be blaming yourself for obtaining that injury. You chose to let your guard down, in the presence of a Purrloin no less. They are called the Devious Pokemon for a reason, you know."

The tone of the voice was familiar to Trip. He knew that the voice belonged to a specific Elite-level Trainer as he had never heard one that was so unique. The grey-eyed boy had an inkling on who the voice belonged to but to confirm his suspicions, he turned his head towards the direction where the voice came from. Trip's suspicions were confirmed. On the bench - which he had occupied no longer than five minutes ago - was a man who was known to be a notorious gambler. He was dressed in a fine-looking suit but what made the man stand out was the yellow scarf he had wrapped around his neck. The way that his hair was styled reminded Trip of a Liepard's whiskers. There was a table in front of the man (Trip wondered how he could have carried it so silently) and on it stood two upturned plastic cups. Upon closer observation, Trip could see the man dexterously shuffling a deck of cards with only one hand.

"Grimsley-san," Trip whispered in awe.

The Dark-type specialist had his signature smirk on display. "Ah, I am still amazed by the fact that even though humanity has deeply advanced into the age of science and technology, they are those who took it upon themselves to ensure that traditional customs won't go extinct," he mused, his eyes never leaving the deck of cards in his hand. "What's even more astounding is that most of these 'protectors of tradition' are from Unova, undoubtedly the most advanced region in this world." His gaze suddenly settled on Trip's form. "You make me proud to be a Unovan, Sorento-kun."

It was not surprising that Trip did a double take when Grimsley referred to him by his surname since only a select few knew of it. "How... did you know?" he asked once he regained his composure.

Grimsley's reply was as nonchalant as it could get. "Your surname? Alder... may have mentioned you a couple of times during one of our conversations. I cannot fully recall the memory." He pursed his lips into a thin line. "He saw fit to ring me up at three in the morning. I cannot comprehend that man's logic sometimes. Despite being half-asleep, I do remember... tidbits of the conversation."

In spite of Trip's negative view of the Unova Champion, Alder was still a Champion in his eyes and for him to be mentioned in one of Alder's conversations, Trip felt immensely honoured; of course, this feeling only lasted until Grimsley saw fit to divulge a fragment of the colloquy he had with Alder to Trip.

"If memory serves me correct, Alder said, and I quote, 'That Trip kid... I worry 'bout him. He's a prime example of how much the quality of Pokemon battling has declined over the years. He thinks strength is everything, just like any other youngster you might encounter these days. If ya ask me, I think that that Ketchum boy has more potential than him.'" The gambler shrugged his shoulders as he randomized his deck of cards using the riffle shuffle. "Of course, that conversation happened a year ago so I'm sure you wouldn't begrudge me for failing to recall some of the details."

Trip clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger. "Alder-san would pick that... **hillbilly **over me?" he rasped in complete disgust.

"You seem rather agitated," Grimsley observed nonchalantly.

"What d'ya think?" Trip uncharacteristically lashed out at the more experienced Trainer. He shut his eyes and ranted, "Alder-san was the one who set me on this path. For years, I grew up with my mind firmly focused on the ideal of strength. And yet, when I met him years later, he contradicts his advice to me and told me that strength was not important. Everything I believed in... Alder-san just tossed it aside like trash! To top it off, Alder-san sees that guy from 'the boonies' in a better light than me! Of course I'm agitated!"

He huffed out a couple of breaths and opened his eyes, expecting to still have Grimsley's full attention. One could only imagine how he must've felt when he discovered that the Dark-type specialist was instead focused on stroking the fur of the Purrloin which Trip had fed earlier. The blond-haired teen narrowed his eyes at the Devious Pokemon.

"You little devil," he hissed yet again.

"Are you quite finished or do you have anything else to add to that rant of yours?" Grimsley queried as he eyed Trip critically.

"I-I'm sorry, Grimsley-san," Trip immediately apologized, mentally berating himself for letting his emotions get the better of him.

Grimsley sighed in slight vexation. "Was that really necessary?"

"Huh, what do you mean, Grimsley-san?" Trip asked, not comprehending the older Trainer's question.

"Apologizing to me simply because you lost control of your emotions," Grimsley elaborated. "I ask you again; was that really necessary?"

Trip's posture grew rigid as he stammered, "O-Of course it is, Grimsley-san. Y-You're a well-known Pokemon Trainer so it's only natural that I-"

"Don't do it again, Sorento-kun," Grimsley cut him off. "If there is one thing that I hate in this world, it's people who needlessly and carelessly offer their apologies for violating social norms. You do not realize how much it sickens me. I repeat; do not do it again."

"Y-Yes, I understand," Trip responded meekly.

Grimsley made a noncommittal humming sound as if he did not care whether or not Trip responded to his command. "You do have a right to be... crossed with the Champion," he told the teen. He then admitted, "To tell you the truth, I felt the exact same way when I caught wind that Alder has forsaken the ideal of strength."

"Really? I-I mean, of course. After all, as the-"

"However," Grimsley continued, "it takes immense courage to admit that you may have been wrong, especially if you are the Champion who holds a lot of influence and political power. I may have acted spiteful towards him in the beginning for abandoning his long-time philosophy but gradually, that feeling was replaced by a new-found respect for him. Should you pose me the question, I am now more inclined to believe in his current ideal of friendship than his past ideal of strength."

Even if it was Grimsley, Trip was not ready to back down just yet. "But Grimsley-san," Trip asserted, "being a Pokemon Champion means being the strongest Trainer of an entire region! If I don't become the strongest of the strong, how will I achieve my dream of becoming a Pokemon Champion? Attaining strength should take precedence over everything else!"

"If you insist on continuing this foolish one-dimensional way of thinking," Grimsley said, sounding disappointed, "then I suggest you hang up your Trainer's gloves this instant."

"Why, Grimsley-san?" Trip questioned adamantly. "What is wrong with my way of thinking?"

"It is not wrong," Grimsley answered. "It's just that you will have an ephemeral career as a Pokemon Trainer because of it."

"Ephemeral?" Trip echoed speculatively. In truth, he did not know the meaning of the word.

Instead of humouring Trip with an explanation, Grimsley tried a different approach. "Let's look at this from a different perspective," he suggested. "If you pit a strong Pokemon against another Pokemon which only has half the strength of its opponent, which do you think would prevail?"

Trip was not sure why Grimsley would ask him such a simple question. Regardless of the Elite Trainer's reason, Trip chose to provide him with the answer. "The strong Pokemon, most definitely."

Grimsley nodded. "Naturally," he uttered smoothly, giving Trip's answer a tick. "Now let's add a couple of Trainers to the mix: the strong Pokemon is under the ownership of a young Trainer who cares nothing but power and as such, does not have a close bond with the Pokemon while the other Pokemon which is past its prime is owned by an experienced Trainer who has a three-dimensional way of thinking. Due to the good bond the latter Trainer has with the older Pokemon, the Trainer knows the limitations of his Pokemon and employs various strategies to make sure that his Pokemon expend its energy wisely so that it could go on the offensive when an opportune moment comes." The Dark-type specialist's eyes became shrouded with smugness as they settled on Trip. "Who do you think will emerge victorious now?"

The young teen picked his choice almost immediately but did not disclose his answer to Grimsley, choosing to ponder on the latter's question a little more. He soon found himself growing less and less confident of his answer the longer he visualized the situation that Grimsley had just described in his head.

"Ah, judging from your expression, you've been left rather confounded," Grimsley noted. "The truth is, there are no wrong answers."

A perplexed look found its way across Trip's features. "Huh?"

"The answer varies depending on the person you're asking," Grimsley continued. "Some would say that the younger Trainer would win while others would back the more experienced Trainer. The more logical ones such as myself would claim that both of them have a fair shot at winning. The former will be victorious if he manages to stay offensive and order his Pokemon to apply continuous pressure on the opposing Pokemon. This strategy is somewhat effective though there is very little error for error."

"How so?" Trip asked earnestly.

Grimsley replied, "High-powered attacks are like double-edged swords. Though they do pack a punch, they put a massive strain on the user's body. In the long run, continuous usage of powerful moves won't be beneficial to both you and your Pokemon. Your Pokemon would become more susceptible to injuries which will cut their battling careers short. You'll find yourself back to square one all over again. Contrariwise, if the more experienced pair of Trainer and Pokemon are able to stave off their opponents' early assault, then the match would be theirs to lose. They have experience on their side and thus are able to handle almost every situation. Above all else, they trust each other. The Pokemon trusts the Trainer to weave the strategy towards victory while the Trainer trusts the Pokemon to carry it out efficiently. Despite the Pokemon not being as young as it used to be, it can rise above its limits with the full support of its Trainer."

"That was a rather... one-sided opinion, Grimsley-san," Trip commented, frowning slightly at the Elite-level Trainer.

"Maybe," Grimsley intoned, "but it is the truth nonetheless. Would you rather experience short-term gain but suffer long-term pain or suffer short-term pain and experience long-term gain?"

Trip bit his lower lip and cast his eyes downward. He hesitantly uttered, "I-"

"Your answer is irrelevant to me," Grimsley cut him off as he fed the Purrloin a poffin. He then set the Pokemon down on the ground, watching it scamper away. "Whether you want to take my words to heart or not, the choice is up to you. It's your life. I have no obligation to determine which path you should or should not take. You could simply forget that we had this discussion in the first place." The immaculately-dressed man leaned back against the bench and stared up at the sky. Without sparing Trip a glance, he said, "It was... nice meeting you, Sorento-kun. Now, off with you. This peaceful atmosphere... I would very much like to spend it alone."

Words failed to describe the anger and disappointment that was pulsing in Trip's body. It was bad enough to have his philosophy being shot down by a man whom he considered to be his idol but now even an Elite-level Trainer was critical of his way of thinking. Yet, he did not act upon his anger. Instead, he simply bowed at the Dark-type Trainer of the Unova Elite Four and walked away, his hands clenched into fists.

* * *

"Damn it!" Trip execrated as he stepped on an empty can of soda and kicked it away. He was so blinded by anger that he did not notice that he had the attention of a seven-year-old girl who was staring at him in disapproval. In nonchalant fashion, she picked up the flattened can and deposited it into a green recycle bin before she departed away from him. The latter blinked and released an exasperated sigh, mentally berating himself for losing his temper. He promptly plopped himself down under a tree, its shade providing some protection from the Sun's ultraviolet rays.

"Why is it that all the renowned Trainers always seek to question my ideal when it has done nothing but serve me well up until this moment?" Trip pondered aloud. As stated in his monologue, Grimsley and Alder were not the only ones who have left him completely frustrated. The truth of the matter was that almost all the Gym Leaders of Unova saw fit to comment on his beliefs upon the conclusion of his battles with them. He found himself growing more and more bitter the longer he continued on his journey. In his opinion, he felt that it was extremely unfair for them to label him as a Trainer who cares about nothing but the strength of his Pokemon. There was some truth to that statement but at least he did not treat any of his Pokemon too harshly if they did not meet his expectations. He would offer them some cold and sharp criticism but that was it.

The Trainer originating from Unova suddenly felt his body twitch as he realized something. "But... I don't exactly attempt to bond with my Pokemon, do I?" he admitted in a resigned tone. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his Badge case and flipped it open. As he stared at the eight Unova Badges aligned in a perfect row, his mind began to wander again. "These Badges are supposed to prove my position as a strong Trainer... but I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today if it hadn't been for my Pokemon. Do they feel a sense of accomplishment as well... or are they growing bitter with each passing battle?" Again, the fact that he was speaking out loud escaped him.

"It's said that Pokemon never lie," Trip murmured as he replaced the Badge case in his hand with a Poke Ball. "One way to find out." He then lobbed the Poke Ball up into the air with a flick of his wrist and watched as it released a bluish light which struck the ground in front of him. While waiting for the light to fully materialize into the Pokemon contained within the Poke Ball, Trip activated the pair of Translation Modules which slipped onto his ears like hearing aids. Though Professor Juniper presented them to him together with his Pokedex, he never really used them much, something that he was beginning to regret. Shaking his head, he slipped a smile on his face as the light coalesced into a Serperior, his starter Pokemon.

Like most Serperior, Trip's had a regal and somewhat pretentious air about it. It frequently looked down on its opponents but not to the point that its battle performance would be affected. However, it did possess a caring side though the times the Serperior actually displayed any hints of affection towards Trip were few and far between. It was a proud Pokemon by nature and thus, it had to uphold its reputation among its teammates. Plus, it was a male which only serve to increase its hesitance to openly display its emotions. Strangely though, the Regal Pokemon was very good at reading other beings' emotions; be them humans or Pokemon. When the Grass-type Pokemon caught sight of Trip's smile, it knew that something was troubling its Trainer.

_"A poffin for your thoughts?" _the Serperior asked with barely noticeable concern etched in his tone. _"There is no point in you hiding your troubles when you're in my presence."_

Trip thinly smiled at his starter Pokemon. "Am I really that easy to figure out?"

_"No, you are just not making an effort to **not** be easy to figure out," _the Regal Pokemon replied. _"To be blunt, I would be surprised if that airhead of a Vanilluxe of yours couldn't detect your uneasiness."_

"Yeah, that's true," Trip agreed half-heartedly.

Silence fell upon the duo as Trip kept his gaze on the ground while his Serperior stared at his form impassively.

Sensing that Trip was hesitant to divulge his problem to him, the Serperior flatly requested,_ "If there is nothing else, I wish for you to return me back into my Poke Ball."_

The male Serperior's words seemed to jar Trip out of his silence as the human asked his Pokemon, "Serperior, have I been doing a good job as your Trainer?"

_"What brought about this sudden insecurity?"_

"Just answer the question," Trip huffed, a little annoyed at his Serperior for trying to change the topic of conversation.

The Grass-type Pokemon closed his eyes and thought about the reply he was going to give to his Trainer. Deigning it best to not beat around the bush, he lifted his eyelids, looked at Trip in the eye and answered, _"You've given a... satisfactory performance."_

Trip scowled at the Regal Pokemon. "Would it kill you to be more specific?"

_"I don't recall you asking me to give you a specific answer," _the Grass-type Pokemon countered smoothly as he eyed his Trainer in amusement.

"I just did," Trip deadpanned, gazing at his Pokemon through half-lidded eyes. "Stop being so indirect with your responses."

_"Alright, alright, there is no need for you to throw such a fit over something as trivial as this,"_ the snake-like Pokemon conceded. He slithered forward and loosely coiled around his Trainer, allowing the human to lean against his body. Once the Serperior was certain that Trip was comfortable, he elaborated, _"Reiterating what I said earlier, I think that you are an adequate Trainer. Not bad... but not good either. You are a smart human as you do have a knack for formulating many effective strategies but you do have your shortcomings just as I have my own."_

The Nuvema Town native tilted his head. He observed, "You know, this is the first time I've seen you admitting your faults. I thought you were too proud for that."

The Grass-type Pokemon scoffed and smacked Trip's head with his tail, eliciting an indignant rebuke from the human. _"Fool, it is our faults that make us distinct from one another. If every being in this world were flawless, then life would lose all of its meaning. Overcoming our weaknesses is an integral part of life." _The Pokemon fixed his Trainer with a stern gaze as he pointed out, _"You never actually made that big of an effort to get to know me... so I'm not surprised that you think I'm some typical Serperior with the stereotypical smug personality that has come to be associated with our species."_

"Oh," Trip sighed as he hung his head down. He knew that it wasn't his Serperior's intention to criticize him but hearing a variation of the critique thrown at him by Grimsley earlier - by his own Pokemon no less - made him more depressed than before. He decided to divert the focus back towards the previous topic. "So... what exactly are my shortcomings, Serperior?" A bored, almost exasperated gaze was sent his way.

_"Do you seriously need me to tell you that?"_ the Regal Pokemon queried tonelessly. _"There's no one who knows us better than ourselves."_

"Even if you do say that," Trip intoned, "I keep on trying to deny that these shortcomings of mine are a cause for concern. I just got told off by Grimsley-san who questioned my philosophy about the way I handle my Pokemon. To be honest, I see nothing wrong with my methods so I thought that it would be in my best interest to seek a second opinion."

Trip's Serperior sighed. _"By 'second opinion', you mean from your own Pokemon, right?"_

"Yeah."

_"Fine, I shall humour you," _the Grass-type Pokemon drawled. _"To put it bluntly, your mental capabilities are utterly... atrocious." _The Serperior suppressed a chuckle as he watched Trip choke on his own spit. The Pokemon mentally wondered, _"Wait, is that even possible?"_

"Atrocious?" Trip spluttered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

_"It means 'of very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant'."_ The Serperior observed, _"By the way, the range of your vocabulary is also atrocious."_

Trip scowled at his Pokemon. "What does the range of my vocabulary have anything to my shortcomings?"

_"Nothing, I just thought that this kind of atmosphere was too serious for my liking," _the Regal Pokemon quipped.

"Serperior..."

_"Case in point," _the Unova starter Pokemon pointed out, effectively garnering his Trainer's attention. _"When things don't go according to plan, you tend to lose control of your emotions, especially in battles. That's when battling under you becomes somewhat of an embarrassment. You plan ahead too much which does not give you a chance to brush up on your improvisation skills. A clear example would be that battle you had with that green-haired... **zoophile** in Nimbasa Town."_

Trip stared slack-jawed at his Serperior for making such an abrupt accusation. "Er..., Cilan may be a bit... eccentric," he began softly. "Well, as a Pokemon Connoisseur, I'm sure he is interested in human-Pokemon relationships but I doubt he's... **that** interested, if you know what I mean." Though the co-Gym Leader of Striaton City did creep him out a little, he was one of the Gym Leaders who Trip respected so it was hard for the latter to imagine the former to be a zoophile of all things.

_"You have got to be kidding me," _the snake-like Pokemon uttered evenly. _"Did you see the way he ogled at me with those luminescent, green eyes of his when I was a Snivy? He explicitly stated that I have excellent taste. I seriously thought that my virginity was going to be compromised. Also, did you-"_

"We are **s~o **going off topic right now," Trip chuckled sheepishly.

_"-see the way he hugged himself with those hands of his? What about the way his body twitches when he enters Connoisseur mode? I swear, I still have nightmares regarding that rapist. How I-"_

Trip was getting extremely uncomfortable so he meekly interrupted, "C-Can we go back to the original topic, please? I'm not really comfortable with topics regarding-" He looked away from his Pokemon. "-you-know-what." He felt as though it was getting harder to breathe but he attributed that to the sudden feeling of bashfulness he was experiencing. However, he soon realized that it was not due to an emotion of embarrassment. Rather, it was the result of his Serperior tightening his hold around him. The Nuvema Town native looked up at his starter Pokemon in confusion. A shudder travelled down his spine as he caught his Serperior's gaze. Trip did not like that look one bit.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Trip asked hesitantly. He then decided that he also did not like the Cheshire grin which currently occupied his Serperior's features.

_"My, it never crossed my mind that my Trainer was still very innocent regarding these... 'serious' matters,"_ the Regal Pokemon said in amusement. The Pokemon leaned forward and flicked his forked tongue on Trip's forehead. _"Shall I give you a crash course, my oh-so-innocent Trainer?"_

"Like hell you will!" Trip shouted as he strained against his Serperior's serpentine body, hoping to free himself from his awkward position. "Let go of me, you perverted snake!"

_"Kind of a spoilsport, aren't we?" _The Grass-type Pokemon half-heartedly uncoiled his body to grant his Trainer the luxury of movement.

Trip took a much-needed gulp of fresh air before he crossed his arms and glared at his Pokemon. "Now then," he rasped through gritted teeth, "let's put the question on my shortcomings on hold for the moment. I'll just go straight to the point." He once again took a deep breath before he asked, "Do you think that there's anything wrong with my current way of thinking?"

_"...No, at least that's what I think," _the Serperior replied after a moment's thought. _"Holding steadfast to your ideals has made you into the strong Trainer that you are today. Granted, there are many other Trainers out there who are much better when compared to you." _Noting the dejected expression attached to his Trainer's face, the Pokemon assured, _"Regardless, I'll still remain by your side."_

The human gave the Serperior a sceptical glance.

_"What can I say? You've made a lasting impression."_

His expression softening a little, Trip curiously queried, "Are you fine with me using you exclusively for battles and not taking the time to get to know you better?"

The Regal Pokemon looked away from his Trainer upon his brain registering the question that had been directed towards him. _"It doesn't really bother me," _he answered truthfully. _"I know that you care for us but you just don't like to express yourself. Besides, I'm not one for these sappy bonding moments either."_

"Does the rest of the team feel the same way?" Trip cautiously asked.

The Grass-type Pokemon hesitated a little but responded nonetheless. _"Unfortunately for you, no,"_ he told Trip. _"They are a rather emotional bunch. Unlike me, they rue the fact that you don't release them from their Poke Balls simply for the sake of spending time with them. They feel sad about it. In time, sadness will lead to disobedience and disobedience shall lead to abandonment." _He added, _"I believe the human of which you spoke of had a point. Some Pokemon require the extra attention while others do not. For your sake... and theirs' to a degree, I think it is high time you suck it up and start spending some time with them. That human is spot on; you can be close-minded at times."_

Trip stared at his Pokemon in bewilderment. "Why is it that I'm getting the impression that you somehow managed to overhear my conversation with Grimsley-san?"

_"I did not eavesdrop if that's what you're thinking," _the Regal Pokemon denied. _"I just used my ESP to expand my senses beyond the confines of my Poke Ball. I just happened to pick up your conversation you had with the older human."_

"Isn't that the same thing as eavesdropping?" Trip deadpanned. "And since when do you have ESP of all things?"

_"I shall admit nothing."_

"Fine," Trip grunted. "Be that way." The blond-haired teen promptly produced a Poke Ball, enlarged it and pointed it at the Regal Pokemon. "In any case, my mind's all cleared up and you've offered me some valuable insight. Thanks."

The final evolution of Snivy offered Trip a slight smile. _"No, it's fine," _was his reply as a red light shot forth from the dual-coloured sphere and engulfed his entire body; when he regained his vision, the Serperior knew that he was back inside his containment device.

Back in the real world, Trip wondered to himself, "Serperior did not sound like he was making that stuff up." He cast his gaze over to the six Poke Balls attached to his belt. "Is friendship... really that important?" The teen rested his head against the palm of his hand as he pondered on his next course of action. He could either forsake Grimsley's advice and carry on as if the conversation had never occurred or take the advice to heart and become more flexible in terms of the way he treats his Pokemon. Though there were only two options, Trip simply could not decide.

With a sigh, he stood up, patted his jeans and proceeded towards the destination where a certain someone **might **aid him in making his decision.

* * *

"Oh, back so soon?"

Grimsley barely managed to contain the regalement in his voice when he caught sight of Trip traipsing over to him. When the teen left him two hours ago, Grimsley had an inkling that he would come back but he honestly expected Trip to spend at least half a day mulling over his words. Trip struck the Master Dark-type Trainer as an obstinate person who was reluctant to accept the views of others but the latter admitted that it was maybe rather inappropriate of him to judge the teen so soon. Narrowing his eyes, Grimsley spotted the pair of Translation Modules fitted around Trip's ears.

The corners of his lips twitched upwards slightly. He subtly whispered, "I suppose my words really did make an impression on him." The blond-haired kid was now standing in front of him. "Yes?"

Trip would love nothing more than to wipe that smirk off of the Elite-level Trainer's face. He could practically feel the sense of smugness oozing from every pore of Grimsley's body. Suppressing a sharp and witty reply, the Nuvema Town native grounded out, "I want you to show me, Grimsley-san."

The glee moving through Grimsley's veins increased tenfold. "Show you... what, Sorento-kun?"

"You emphasize friendship between Trainers and Pokemon now, right?"

"That's correct."

"Well, I want you to show me what I can achieve with my Pokemon should I... integrate parts of this philosophy into my own," Trip said in an even tone. "Though you claim that this method is much more effective, I won't take your word for it just because you are an Elite-level Trainer." He added, "I need to see it to believe it."

The coiffed-haired, immaculately-dressed man crossed one leg over the other and leaned back against the bench, putting his hands behind his head in the process. "You require a demonstration, hmm?"

Trip nodded and decided to give the more experienced Trainer an opportune riposte. "Of course, if it's too much trouble for you, then-"

"Trying to goad a reaction out of me is useless, Sorento-kun," Grimsley bantered in retaliation. "Points for effort though." He went on, "A demonstration is within my capabilities but first, you must prove to me that you are within Lady Luck's good graces. If you are, then I shall comply with your request."

The grey-eyed teen frowned upon hearing such an unorthodox challenge. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing drastic if that's what you're thinking," Grimsley replied. He stood up from the bench. He then instructed, "Keep yourself rooted to this spot. I'll be right back."

Trip shrugged nonchalantly and closed his eyes; he hummed a soft tune as he waited for Grimsley to return. Minutes later, his brain registered the sound of footsteps approaching him. When the blond-haired teen lifted his eyelids, he straightaway noticed that Grimsley had not returned alone. Walking at about a step slower behind the Elite-level Trainer was a girl whom Trip guesstimated was in her early teens. She had indigo-coloured eyes and her skin was very pale, giving Trip the impression that she did not go out much. Her shoulder-length hair was coloured in a very deep shade of blue. Whether that was her natural hair colour or not, it mattered little to Trip as he continued to size her up. Her attire was quite simple in his eyes: it consisted of a silver jacket over a sleeveless white shirt; a white skirt - with a blue end - about two inches above her knees. His gaze moved upwards to connect with the girl's.

"Hi, my name is Felicia Miyata," she cheerily introduced herself whilst holding out a hand towards Trip. "You must be Trip Sorento, right? Nice to meet you."

He was not surprised that she knew his name. It was a high probability that Grimsley had revealed his identity to her. Just for the sake of being polite, he accepted the girl's handshake before he abruptly switched his attention to the Master Dark-type Trainer.

As if sensing the inevitable question, Grimsley explained, "I figured that I should make things a little more interesting. As of this moment, Felicia here will be your opponent. Both of you shall test your luck against one another in one of my favourite games. The winner shall be rewarded with a simple demonstration from _moi _which may or may not help you in your respective Zenith League campaigns."

Frowning, Trip asked, "Why go through all the trouble of inviting this girl here? Why-"

Felicia put her hands on her hips and enunciated, "This 'girl' has a name, you know? It's Felicia."

"-can't I just pit my luck against yours?"

Grimsley shook his head and chuckled, "I don't mean to brag but I have an amazing lucky streak. I'm always in Lady Luck's favour so you'd honestly have no chance."

Trip was too exasperated to offer Grimsley a retort so he merely shoved his hands into his pockets and clicked his tongue.

Twiddling her fingers, mostly out of habit rather than nervousness, Felicia curiously queried, "So, what game are we gonna play, Mr. Grimsley?"

Upon hearing her question, the Elite-level Trainer smiled and spread out his arms over the table in front of him. He slyly intoned, "I'm sure both of you have noticed the upturned plastic cups. Since there's two of them and two of you, I would honestly be surprised if you could not put two and two together."

"So the two of us will be given a cup each," Trip stated the obvious. "Just how on earth do we go about determining whose luck is better from that piece of information?"

Felicia decided to give her input on the matter. "Why are the cups positioned upside down, though?" she pondered aloud. "Is it wrong to place them in an upright position?" Something clicked in her head. "Mr. Grimsley, are you hiding anything under those cups?"

His response to Felicia's query was to give her a serene smile, void of any arrogance or pride. "You surprise me, young miss," he uttered smoothly. "I never expected such perception from a beauty such as yourself. Colour me impressed."

"Heh, I'm really don't respond well to flattery... but thanks anyway," she responded shyly as she avoided his gaze and rocked back and forth between her toes and heels. The rosy blush tinting her cheeks insinuated her statement.

Trip merely rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the sudden appearance of Grimsley's notorious 'player' personality. He intervened, "Given your love for gambling, I guess that it is simply logical to assume that these cups are hiding items that are more or less related to any form of gambling, right?"

"'Logical', hmm?" Grimsley muttered to himself. "A rather boring way of thinking things through but accurate nonetheless." With that said, he lifted both the cups to reveal...

"Dice?" Trip and Felicia echoed in unison. Felicia sounded slightly more surprised as the former already had an inkling on what the hidden items were. Underneath each cup were five six-sided dice which, instead of having number pips, had representations of playing cards upon them.

"I love playing poker," Grimsley suddenly spoke up, "but I think it is quite troublesome to play that game when the stakes are this low so I thought we'd settle for something much simpler: Poker Dice. Heard of the game?"

"Can't say I have," Felicia mumbled under her breath. She knew all the poker hands through observation though she never really had any experience playing poker. The indigo-eyed girl hoped that the game Grimsley mentioned was as simple as he claimed it to be because she had a terrible poker face.

Trip answered, "No but I've played poker before." He added, "'Course, we used biscuits instead of money."

"Well, you both seem familiar with poker at the very least so I doubt you'll have a hard time comprehending my explanation," Grimsley inferred. He paused for a moment before he elaborated, "The objective of this game is to get the best possible five-card poker hand. The six faces of each die simulate a playing card deck's top six markings: ace, king, queen, jack, ten, and nine. There are eight obtainable poker hands in this game with the highest being the infamous 'Five of a Kind' and the lowest being the common 'High Card'. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes," Trip confirmed.

Felicia wrinkled her nose but nodded in response.

Grimsley went on, "Right, you first put the dice in the cup and give it good shake before rolling the dice on the table. Each of you get three rolls. What I mean by this is that after your first roll, you may stick with the hand you obtained or set aside some of your hand and reroll the remainder. Any dice set aside cannot be rerolled. The one with the highest hand shall, of course, be the winner." Finished with his explanation, Grimsley crossed his fingers together and stretched his arms upward. "Now then, shall we commence with the game or-" His voice suddenly shifted into a dead monotone. "-do I need to repeat my explanation?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly pervaded the area. Both Trip and Felicia could literally feel the hairs at the back of their necks stand up; the feeling was accompanied by a chill which travelled down their spines. Their self-preservation instincts came into play as they promptly shook their heads.

"Good," Grimsley uttered with a half-smile. His gaze wandered over to Trip. "You wouldn't mind if Felicia starts first, would you?"

Trip shrugged. "It doesn't really matter," he said offhandedly. "I'll still emerge victorious regardless of who starts first."

"Ah, a dash of cockiness," Grimsley said in amusement. He looked at Felicia. "Is this enough to warrant a reaction out of you?"

"No, not really," Felicia admitted nonchalantly. She then regarded Trip with a smile. "Wish me luck."

"A sprinkle of kindness," Grimsley noted. "I'm curious to see how Lady Luck will choose between you two distinct individuals." With a deep breath, he gave Felicia the green light to get the game underway. "You may begin."

Nodding to Grimsley, Felicia grabbed the five dice and dropped them into her cup one by one. Grasping the cup, she lifted it up and gave it a few shakes before she gave her arm a slight jerk forwards. Unsurprisingly, the dice propelled out of the cup and dropped onto the table. One by one, each die revealed its marking. As the last die stopped rolling, Felicia looked at her poker hand.

**Q Q Q 10 9**

"Three of a Kind, huh?" Felicia murmured. "Not bad but it still can be improved." With that said, she plucked the dice marked 'ten' and 'nine' and put them back into the cup. Instead of shaking the cup, she swirled the cup until the dice flew out. They landed on the right corner of the table so she had to reach out for them. Grabbing them with her fingertips, she moved them over to the three dice which she had left on the table. Arranging them in a neat row, she lifted her hands.

**Q Q Q Q 10**

"I'm done," she chirped as took a step back.

Grimsley raised an eyebrow and questioned, "You'd settle for this hand despite the fact that you still haven't used your final roll?"

Felicia nodded. "Uh huh," she breathed simply.

"Okay then," Grimsley conceded. "You got a Four of a Kind. Not the highest hand but high nonetheless. The only way for your opponent to win is to get a Five of a Kind." He added, "There's about a 0.08 per cent chance of that happening so I can understand your gleefulness."

Trip scoffed and defiantly stated, "Even if it's only that low of a possibility, I can still get it." He mimicked Felicia's actions and rolled the dice on the table. The blond-haired teen then scrutinized the poker hand in front of him.

**9 9 K K 10**

He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Don't worry," he assured himself as he grabbed all five dice. "I still have two rolls left." After he dropped the dice into his cup, he held the cup up by its brim and shook it lightly from side to side. Next, he placed the cup on the table and tipped it over. The dice clattered on the table and revealed the second poker hand.

**Q J K 9 Q**

It was worse compared to his first hand. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Everything was simply not going his way.

"Keep it together, Sorento-kun," Grimsley advised him. "You still have one roll left. Just empty your mind and focus on the matter at hand. Luck involves a lot of patience so you have to calm yourself. No matter how low the odds are, anything is possible. You just have to believe that."

Trip's body language became more relaxed. Despite having acted immaturely towards Grimsley, the Master Dark-type Trainer was still willing to offer Trip some guidance, as hinted by the former's advice to him. He was glad to know that the Elite-level Trainer was not rooting for his opponent but staying neutral instead. With a calm mind, he put all five dices back into the cup. This time though, he sandwiched the cup with his palms and shook it upwards and downwards. Upturning it, he quickly removed the palm covering the brim of the cup and pressed it against the table, preventing any die from rolling away.

Since the method was rather suspenseful, it was only right for Grimsley and Felicia to add to the suspense by leaning in closer to the upturned cup. Steeling himself, Trip closed his eyes and slowly lifted the cup up.

"What in the world?" Felicia flabbergasted.

Grimsley merely smirked. "Well, isn't this surprising?"

Buoyed by the reactions elicited by the two observers, Trip opened his eyes and looked down.

**K K K K K**

His breath got stuck in his throat. He could not believe that he actually obtained the highest hand possible. A sigh of relief was exhaled through his lips as he arched his neck backwards.

Grimsley turned to face Felicia. "I'm afraid that you have lost," he stated in an apologetic tone. "Better luck next time."

"Aw, phooey," Felicia bemoaned her luck. She turned back into her cheery self almost instantly. "Oh well, ya win some, ya lose some." Extending her hand towards Trip, she said, "Congrats."

As he did the first time, he stretched his arm forwards and shook the girl's hand. "Good game," he commended.

"You too," was her reply. "Thanks for inviting me, Mr. Grimsley. I'll be going now. Gotta go find that Liligant I've been tracking down."

The Master Dark-type Trainer nodded at Felicia. "I wish you luck in your endeavour."

"Thanks." With that said, she merrily skipped away, fantasizing about the cute dresses that she will be dressing the Liligant in when she captures it.

Once Felicia was out of sight, Grimsley decided to make due with his promise as he stood up. "Come on." Grimsley gestured Trip to follow him with a jerk of his head.

"Where are we going, Grimsley-san?"

"This demonstration is reserved for you and you alone," Grimsley informed Trip. "I shall do it in a secluded area of the park, away from prying eyes."

Trip simply nodded in understanding and followed Grimsley without a word. The former was soon led to an area which truly personified the term 'secluded'. Unlike the rest of the park, the area was simply unworthy of being a part of the beautiful mosaic which was Caelum City Park. There were patches of brown grass mixed in together with their healthier, green cousins, giving Trip the impression that the area did not receive that much sunlight. Some of the trees there lacked leaves; therefore, their skeleton-like branches and twigs were exposed, adding to the overall feel of the area.

"This area really does fit in with Grimsley-san's overall persona," Trip concluded. Speaking of Grimsley, Trip observed his surroundings and found him sitting down on a tree stump with his body hunched forwards.

"In order to protect their bodies," Grimsley began, "Pokemon unconsciously suppress the power to exceed their limits. No matter how hard Pokemon train themselves, they will soon reach a point where their bodies would not allow their hard work to be translated to results. This mechanism of self-preservation has been integrated into their bodies ever since they were mere Eggs." He suddenly posed Trip a question. "Tell me, Sorento-kun. Have you seen many fully-evolved Pokemon in the wild?"

After some thought, Trip answered, "Now that you mention it, not a whole lot. In terms of Pokemon that are part of a three-stage evolutionary line, the Pokemon I've seen only reached the second stage at best. Most of the fully-evolved Pokemon I've encountered during the course of my journey belonged to Pokemon Trainers."

"Precisely," Grimsley concurred. "Through bonding with humans, that mechanism can be negated long enough for Pokemon to achieve evolution. In other words, the bonds we share with our Pokemon act as catalysts." He added, "However, the self-preservation mechanism does not only extend to hindering the evolution of Pokemon."

"Does it suppress something even more impressive than evolution?" Trip asked.

"You'll be astounded by the degree of potential locked deep within the hearts of each of your Pokemon," Grimsley replied. "Should a Pokemon be made capable of tapping into its inner potential through connecting with humans, it can achieve extraordinary things." The Elite-level Trainer produced a Poke Ball from his pocket and enlarged it. "Care for demonstration?"

Trip eagerly nodded.

"Come on out, Liepard," Grimsley uttered firmly as he released his favourite Pokemon. The Cruel Pokemon landed gracefully on all fours as it did a scan of its surroundings. Satisfied, it ambled towards its Trainer and rubbed against his legs.

Grimsley patted its head and leaned in closer to its right ear. He whispered, "I have to ask you for a favour. Are you willing to show this boy one of your... 'memorable' techniques?"

The Dark-type Pokemon licked Grimsley's fingers in response to his question.

"I suppose that's a yes," Grimsley chuckled. The coiffed-haired man raised his hand. "Liepard, execute Dark Banish!" he exclaimed as he snapped his fingers.

The Cruel Pokemon immediately leaped away from its Trainer and surrounded itself in ribbons of dark energy. It then utilized its high jumping ability to launch itself high into the sky. Curling itself into a ball, it promptly executed the technique.

Trip could merely stare in wonder at the beauty and destructiveness of the attack as purple light washed over him.

"M-My Arceus..."

* * *

A pair of dispassionate eyes scrutinized the room situated near the top left corner of Caelum General Hospital through a pair of high-tech binoculars. The owner of said eyes was standing atop a taller building overlooking the hospital. He spotted the room's occupant who was sure to appear in tomorrow's headlines for disrupting the opening ceremony of a famous restaurant.

"As planned," he said laconically. He turned towards his partner. "Ready, Salamence?"

The Salamence which had a scar running down on its right side from its eye to the bottom of its neck simply nodded, ready to be of use to its Trainer.

Brushing his jacket lapel with his fingertips, he pressed a small device attached to it. Noticing that the air around him started to ripple slightly, he deduced that the cloaking device had worked its magic. Walking past his Pokemon, he coldly ordered, "Dragon Rage."

As the screams of terror erupted from below, he simply said, "Sorry but you were simply a victim of circumstance. Hope you enjoy the afterlife."

* * *

**(1) - The 'X' in Xtransceiver is pronounced as 'cross', hence the usage of the article preceding it**

**Kind of a boring filler from my perspective since it's rather lacking in the action department. Oh well, character development takes precedence over action, right?**

**One more filler to go before the focus shifts back to the tournament. I promise it won't be as boring as this one.**

**A special thanks goes to beastmode953 for the consecutive reviews. Keep 'em coming.**

**Felicia Miyata belongs to Twilight - The Moon Spirit.**

**'Mysterious guy' belongs to... a certain reviewer who has an account. (No, the guy at the end is not Eclipse if that's what you're thinking. He is a submitted OC though)**

**Hope you guys can shower me with reviews.**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	12. Chapter XI : To Repay a Debt

**Rejoice as this chapter shall mark the end of the first set of fillers. With the way I write the battles in this story, you may understand why I needed a break from writing them.**

**This specific verse of the story is a follow-up to the events of Chapter IX. You may have noticed that Ash's presence hasn't been all that prominent since Chapter VII but worry not. In addition to him playing a role in the story's main plot, he'll have his own fair share of appearances in the next set of fillers.**

**Hope you guys are satisfied with this one.**

**P.S. Just in case you guys haven't noticed, I've started a poll in my profile. I would appreciate it if you guys can allocate some time off your respective schedules and vote for one of the choices in the poll. Thanks in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, I would've introduced some Natural Harmonia Gropius and Team Plasma to the Best Wishes series. It's seriously boring. Hopefully, the inclusion of Dawn and Cynthia in the second season would spice things up.**

* * *

Leon was seriously considering having his brain checked. He did not know what possessed him to carry out a mission when he was running a high fever. "'Cept that I'm totally afraid of being court-martialled," he groaned. He knew that his paranoia was totally baseless given the fact that he could have simply contacted his commanding officer to mention that he was sick but he was not going to take that chance. In fact, he was actually hoping for Commander Flynn to find out about his condition _after _he had completed his assignment. That way, the commander would praise him for being such a hardy and dedicated Ranger. Heck, the commander might even put his name up for promotion.

"Fat chance of that happenin'," Leon rasped, grasping and massaging his sore throat. He then groaned, "I think him chiding me over my lack of common sense would be a much more realistic reaction. Arceus, I could even get demoted for my recklessness." Not only was Leon extremely paranoid at least when it concerned his duties as a Pokemon Ranger but he had a slight tendency of seeing the glass as half empty. Given all that he had went through ever since he was a kid, it was no surprise that he found it difficult to look on the bright side of things.

A whimper was elicited from his vocal cords as he hugged his legs tightly against his chest. He was resting under a shady oak tree but the shade did little to aid him in his current state. He was feeling hot, and not in the figurative sense. His fever had unexpectedly skyrocketed when he had covered about ninety per cent of the forest; his vision started to become hazy at that point. Regardless, he bore with his discomfort and pressed on, his spirits buoyed by the fact that he was almost done.

He heard the drones come back and hover above him. This meant that they had finished scanning the remaining part of the forest about five per cent that he had not covered yet. On any other day, Leon would have been whooping with joy for completing such a difficult and exhausting mission. At that moment though, the black-haired teen was not up for celebrating. He just wanted to go back to his hotel room, swallow some aspirin and pass out on the bed. He did not care that he would be going to bed all sweaty and sticky. No one was going to intrude on him anyway.

The triangle-shaped drones inserted themselves back into the empty triangular slots which decorated the device strapped around Leon's right arm. The sick stripling lifted his head a little to look at the screen installed on the device through his blurry vision.

* * *

**TRANSFER TO MAIN DATABASE COMPLETE**

**PERCENTAGE OF FOREST COVERED : 100%**

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

* * *

Despite his lethargy, the corners of his lips quirked upwards to form a small yet tired smile. He could have allowed the device's feminine voice to inform him that the transfer was a success but he muted it the second his headache transcended into a throbbing sensation. That and he had the distinct feeling that the device was mocking him. Mentally, he chuckled, "Paranoid much?"

The Pokemon Ranger unfolded his legs and pressed his back against the tree trunk. Bracing himself, he dug his heels into the soft ground and slowly pushed himself up to get back on his feet. He staggered a bit as his legs were cramping due to having the blood flow to those areas cut off. Leon kept his legs folded a tad longer than he thought but the cramps gradually faded away, allowing Leon to stand up without having to rely on the tree for support.

"This is nothing compared to what the Rangers going through rehabilitation had to endure on a daily basis," Leon said dismissively. "Now that that's over and done with, I better head back to the hotel. I'm not exactly-" He suddenly let out a couple of throaty coughs. "-in ideal condition to spend a night here." In spite of the fact that he was slightly muddled in the head, Leon foresaw his current predicament. Therefore, he kept close to the main pathways of the forest and marked some of the trees he had passed along the way with white chalk; this way, he could easily retrace his steps without having to rely on his memory which would be a very bad move on his part. It was simply common sense to not be too reliant on one's memory if one had to contend with a throbbing headache.

Leon lifted his arms up while taking a deep breath and brought them down as he exhaled loudly. "Right, here I go," he suspired in a resigned tone. He barely took a step forwards before his world tilted sideways and he collapsed on the ground. The boy let loose a couple of choked gasps before his eyes got heavy and his form turned motionless.

* * *

"Another satisfied client," Seishirou remarked as he trod along the dirt path leading to one of his grandmother's peculiarly-located abodes which he currently occupied with his brother and Pokemon. His guardian had a penchant for picking out weird places to erect houses and add to her ever-growing list of unoccupied residences but Seishirou saw no reason to complain; he would always have a roof over his head whenever he decided to wander the regions of the world. "After living on a snowy mountain for the majority of my life, staying in a forest is kind of a step-down."

He suddenly shortened his strides and eventually came to a stop. "Come to think of it," he wondered, "how can obaa-chan afford to keep on building more and more houses? I know that she is beyond sucking my bank account dry so where does she get the money from?" He paused as he tilted his head from side to side. He thought, "It really does make one's mind wander, doesn't it?" Deigning it to be better left unanswered, the black-haired teen reached into the right pocket of his hakama and pulled out the tape recorder he had used back at Starlite Articuno.

Starlite Articuno was a chain of high-end restaurants under the ownership of two people: Carlos Damian, and Eclipse Silverline, the latter of whom had an amicable acquaintanceship with Seishirou. The acquaintanceship became rather stagnant when Seishirou left the Pokemon battling circuit half a decade ago. Other than the rare phone call, both of them generally kept out of each other's businesses. However, Eclipse secretly harboured a desire to rekindle the mutual understanding between them. As introverted as he was, he still required human contact... despite already having that provided to him by his butler. Thus, he extended an invitation to Seishirou to dine with him in his restaurant when he learnt that the latter was participating in the Zenith League as well. It was a normal enough reunion; they conversed about the past and each other's welfare. Still, there was a shadowy air about the meeting as they carried out some business. Eclipse ended up giving Seishirou some detailed information regarding certain matters in exchange for the item that Seishirou had brought with him to the restaurant.

"Truthfully, I never saw Eclipse as the type of person to part with information that easily," the bespectacled teen admitted to himself as he repeatedly tossed the tape recorder up and down. Snatching the tape recorder before it reached maximum height, he pocketed it with a sigh. "I guess that's what makes humans that much more interesting." He promptly resumed his brief trek towards his desired destination, all the while thinking of serving either curry or tofu for dinner shortly.

Seishirou wanted his peaceful musings to remain uninterrupted until he reached his temporary residence. Going through the day's events in his head, he concluded that he could have handled them a lot better. In particular, he wished that he could change the way he acted towards Caedes. The sapphire-eyed adolescent came to realize that he had underestimated the Pikachu's emotional capacity and made a mental note to apologize to the Mouse Pokemon later, his pride be damned. He subconsciously quickened his pace. His mind was so focused on offering his apology to his Pokemon that he _nearly _passed the boy sprawled on the ground, the key word being nearly.

"That is certainly an odd sleeping position," Seishirou mused as he knelt down near the object of his interest. He reached out and grasped the boy's arm, rolling the latter towards him so that he was lying on his back. Seishirou then conducted a head-to-toe assessment. "Skin is rather pale and clammy. He doesn't seem that dehydrated so he must have drank some fluids." Noticing the nearby rucksack, Seishirou promptly unzipped it and held it upside down. Five empty plastic bottles dropped out of the rucksack and onto the ground. "I take it back, _a lot _of fluids." Adjusting his spectacles, Seishirou decided to check the boy's temperature and placed a hand on the unconscious teen's forehead. He frowned as he retracted his arm back. "He has an unnaturally high fever. What in the world possessed this kid to go exploring in a forest when he should have been resting?" It was then that Seishirou caught sight of the device strapped around the boy's right arm. As of that moment, he knew that he was dealing with a Pokemon Ranger. "I guess this must be one of the reckless ones then," he uttered in an irritated tone. Seishirou did not view the Pokemon Ranger Corps in a favourable light. He felt that most of the members were too eager to throw away their lives for the greater good that they forgot the impact that their actions may have on the loved ones that they will be leaving behind. Due to this latest discovery, Seishirou was seriously contemplating on leaving the Ranger as he did not want to have anything to do with a so-called 'enforcer of peace'. A quick glimpse at the Ranger's face, however, threw all those dark thoughts right out the window.

"He looks no older than fourteen," Seishirou deduced, unaware that his deduction was off the mark by four years. He grunted in displeasure. "Damn me and my soft spot for minors." Shaking off his intense detestation towards the younger teen, Seishirou made his decision: he would not leave him to die. He raised the boy's upper body so that he assume a sitting position and turned his back towards the latter. He then positioned the Ranger's arms around his neck and placed his hands below the Ranger's thighs. Making sure that he had a firm hold on the Pokemon Ranger, Seishirou stood up with more ease than he expected. "Aren't you light?" he remarked as he carried his new guest to his base of operations where he can properly treat him.

A few moments later, Seishirou was standing just outside the courtyard of his temple-like house. The two _sakura _trees were a welcomed sight to him. To his surprise, the boy he was carrying suddenly whimpered and subconsciously pressed his body closer to Seishirou's. This move warmed his heart slightly, convincing him to evoke an amused chuckle.

"I don't think you should be putting your trust in me so easily. I'm far from being a good person... but when I think about it, getting more familiar with you... I'm actually looking forward to it."

* * *

It took a lot of effort to catch Seito off guard. Being around his adoptive brother so much cultivated his nonchalance towards most things. The things he thought to be impossible suddenly became very hard to _not _believe. His elder brother made him think. His elder brother taught him to always expect the unexpected. Still, when the unexpected involved his brother carrying a human into the vicinity of their residence, Seito found it extremely hard to comprehend his brother's motive for doing so because Seishirou always informed him that they were going to have guests in advance. Besides that, his elder brother's piggyback rides had always been a treat reserved for him and him alone.

"Onii-san, what is that?" Seito demanded as he hopped down from the house's porch and skipped towards Seishirou. Without awaiting a proper response from Seishirou, the curious child began to circle around his elder brother repeatedly, his inquisitive eyes never leaving the human whom Seito guessed was able to pique his brother's interest.

The older of the two non-biological siblings sighed. Though he loved Seito dearly, he felt that the clueless act was starting to get repetitive. "Oh well, that's what I get for asking him to act more like his age instead of letting him be the mature kid he is," he mumbled silently. Looking at Seito, Seishirou noted that the boy was blinking innocently at him. Translation: Seito wanted an answer. The sapphire-eyed teen rolled his eyes and decided to humour the seven-year-old. "Believe it or not, what I'm carrying here is actually a human. This one here is proof that though we are of the same species, we each have our own distinct appearances."

Seito wrinkled his nose. "I know that Seishirou-nii," Seito said softly, "but I always hear you muse on and on about how much you dislike humans so I never thought in a million years that you would bring one here." Subtly, he whimpered, "Do you hate me, Seishirou-nii? Are y-you looking to replace me?"

Seishirou's expression softened. His brother was simply too cute and innocent sometimes. "Of course not," he said soothingly. "If I really did hate you, I wouldn't have bothered to keep you around for so long... much less adopt you. Have I ever told you that you're very cute when you become a little worrywart?"

Discerning the fact that Seishirou was teasing him, Seito put on his best angry look though it was somewhat negated by the rosy blush that tinted his cheeks. He stammered indignantly, "D-Don't try to change the subject. If you don't hate me, then w-why are you giving him a piggyback ride, huh? I thought only I have that pri-pri-va... um... what's the word?"

"Privilege," Seishirou offered.

Seito nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's the word."

"You really wanna know?"

"Yes, I do," Seito retorted.

His patience wearing thin, Seishirou flatly told Seito, "I found him sprawled on the forest floor. As luck would have it, not only was he unconscious but he also had and still has a very high temperature. To answer your question, I'm giving him a piggyback ride so that I can bring him into the house and properly treat him, something that I would have done three times already if you weren't busy obstructing my path." He did not mean to sound so harsh but his guest's condition was deteriorating rapidly; therefore, he cannot afford to waste any more time bantering with Seito. "Satisfied?"

The spiky-haired youth indeed was as he hung his head down in shame. "S-Sorry, Seishirou-nii," he apologized meekly. "I was... afraid that you... might not need me anymore, that's all."

"Your fear is very unfounded, Seito," Seishirou responded. "You should have more faith in me."

"Seishirou-nii, I..."

Seishirou added, "You're forgiven by the way."

Seito looked up at his brother in confusion. "Huh?" he muttered. "Just like that?"

The formally-garbed nineteen-year-old nodded whilst giving his brother a small smile. "I'm in a good mood today," he said nonchalantly. "Besides, there is no possible way for me to resent you, Seito. After all, you do know that I will always love and cherish you, right?"

"Hehehe... uh-huh," the silver-eyed boy giggled in agreement, his brother's words having a profound and positive effect on him. "Just for curiosity's sake, are you gonna 'screw' him, onii-san?"

That innocent question made Seishirou's heart stop. Did Seito just say what Seishirou thought he said? He flatly inquired, "What?"

It did not seem that Seito saw the look of horror plastered on his elder brother's features as the young kid simply shrugged. "Aqua told me that if people don't feel well, then you should 'screw' them," Seito explained. "She said that the act of 'screwing' is a form of mutualism in a sense that both the 'screwer' and the 'screwee' will benefit." He scratched his head in confusion. "Honestly, I really don't understand it. How do we go about 'screwing' each other? Do we make holes in each other's bodies and fill them up with screws? Aqua even simplified her explanation by showing me this gesture-" The silver-eyed youth promptly curled the fingers of his right hand to form an 'O' before he shoved his left index finger into the orifice, adding a screwing motion to it. He concluded, "-but I still don't get it."

Seishirou lowered his head, barely able to contain the negative and malicious feelings that were accumulating in his body. "That Buizel just signed her own death warrant," he mentally growled. Given his current situation, he decided to put off torturing Aqua for the time being. Putting a smile on his face, he raised his head and reminded his younger brother, "Seito, our guest isn't getting any better with all this procrastination going on."

"Oh!" Seito gasped. "I totally forgot. I promise I'll have everything ready when you reach the main guest room."

"You go do that," Seishirou agreed as he watched Seito run up the steps and disappear into the house. He chanced a glance over his shoulder; the bespectacled teen gave out an amused snort when he saw the Ranger nuzzle his left shoulder with one of his flushed cheeks. Seishirou whispered, "Just bear with it a little longer. We're almost there." Readjusting his hold on the sick stripling, he carefully went up the steps and entered his humble abode.

* * *

"This is not good," Seishirou uttered worriedly as he narrowed his eyes at the reading of the thermometer which he had used to measure the Ranger's temperature. "Not good at all."

When Seishirou entered the main guest room with his guest in tow, he discovered that Seito did indeed made good on his promise. A futon had been laid out in the centre of the room and there was a bowl of water with a small white cloth hanging off its brim next to it. Seishirou immediately set to work. Gently laying the Ranger down on the futon, Seishirou took a pair of scissors and cut the sick teen's shirt starting from the bottom hem up to the collar. After removing the T-shirt, he dipped the cloth into the water. He then rubbed the Ranger's upper body with the damp cloth to cool down his body a little. Once he was done with that, the nineteen-year-old put a thermometer in his patient's mouth to determine the severity of the latter's fever.

"What is it, onii-san?" Seito asked as he squeezed all the excess water from another cloth and placed it on the Ranger's forehead.

"He's reached forty-one degrees," Seishirou divulged. "His fever is too far along to be treated via conventional means."

Seito bit his lower lip and cast a worried glance over to their guest. "There must be something we can do, Seishirou-nii. Even if we don't know him at all, we can't just let him die."

"I'm perfectly aware of that," Seishirou said flatly. He retreated into his mind and brainstormed for a way to cure the Ranger of his life-threatening fever. Eventually, he came up with one but the treatment method carried an element of risk. Seishirou was starting to have second thoughts. "I... could do 'that' but..." He shook his head. "Screw it, there's no other way." The sapphire-eyed human then lifted his eyelids and made eye contact with Seito. "Bring me my calligraphy set."

"Huh?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Go. Now."

The three-foot-tall boy knew better than to doubt his brother whenever the older boy used that particular tone of voice with him. Seito complied with Seishirou's order and left the room. Moments later, he returned with the items which made up Seishirou's calligraphy set: a calligraphy brush, a bottle of ink, a small notebook, and oddly enough, a razor.

Seishirou merely sent a thankful gaze Seito's way before he snatched the items from his adopted brother's hands and laid them down on the floor. He flipped open the notebook until he came across a blank page. Rolling up the sleeve of his jacket, he grabbed the razor and held it dangerously close to the palm of his left hand. Exhaling a shaky breath, he pressed the razor below the index finger and made a diagonal cut across the palm.

"Onii-san!" Seito yelled out in shock. "What are you doing?"

Even if Seishirou heard Seito's cry of worry, he made no indication that he did as he settled for watching the blood pool in his cupped hand. Once he thought the pool of blood to be sufficient, he dipped the end of the calligraphy brush into the fluid which consisted mostly of erythrocytes. He then moved the tip of the brush closer to the blank piece of paper in front of him to begin creating a healing seal. Just as the brush was about to make contact with the paper, his hand began to tremble slightly. As such, he lifted the brush up before a blot of blood could make its presence known on the paper.

Seito was beginning to worry for his brother. "I've never seen Seishirou-nii this nervous before," he thought. He wanted nothing more than to hug Seishirou at that moment to placate some of his doubts but wisely held himself back. The seven-year-old could somewhat tell that what Seishirou was planning to do was extremely delicate; thus, he could not afford to make his elder brother lose his concentration.

"Calm down, Seishirou," he assuaged himself. "Just remember what obaa-chan taught you." His nerves soothed to a certain extent, he softly pressed the tip of the calligraphy brush on the paper and made the first stroke. He added some swirls and a bit of kanji as well. Overall, he spent five minutes carefully crafting the healing seal. Seishirou heaved a relieved sigh once he was done and surveyed his handiwork. "Looks okay," he observed. "If obaa-chan was here, then she can evaluate this seal for me but there's no point in worrying about that now."

Ignoring the fact that he was bleeding, Seishirou tore out the page and put it on his guest's forehead in place of the damp cloth. "I've only got one shot at this." He closed his eyes and and uncharacteristically pleaded, "Arceus, please make this work." Reaching deep within himself, he encountered a large, bright star of light which was the manifestation of his aura. He stretched out his hand and willed for it to grant him a small fragment of its power. In response, the star shined brighter and ejected Seishirou out of his own inner world. Opening his eyes, Seishirou noted that his non-bleeding hand was emitting a bluish glow. In prompt fashion, he hovered the hand over the seal on the Ranger's forehead.

"Heal," Seishirou whispered firmly. On cue, the red markings on the seal became outlined in blue as they absorbed the aura from Seishirou's hand. The blue light then spread throughout the seal before it encompassed the Ranger's head. Eventually, the bright radiance travelled downwards until it fully covered the sick teen from head to toe. The light maintained a constant brightness for a while before it died down. At the same time, Seishirou's body suddenly gave out from pure exhaustion as he sagged forwards. He would have collapsed onto his patient had Seito not caught him in time.

A mere two inches separated Seishirou and his guest's faces from one another. Seishirou merely stared at the Ranger's peaceful expression as the latter's breathing pattern became steady. Based on the ease at which the younger boy was breathing, the healing seal worked.

"No more," the sapphire-eyed individual breathed into his guest's face. "I don't wish to be put in this position again. You better buck up because this will be the last time I would be risking my life to save yours."

* * *

The first thing that registered in Leon's mind when he woke up was that his back was not aching as it should be. He found this discovery to be strange because the last thing he remembered before he blacked out was that he collapsed onto the forest floor with his body sprawled in an odd angle. Curling his fingers, the Ranger was pleasantly surprised to find them grasping at something soft and fluffy. A bed sheet entered his line of sight when he tilted his neck forwards.

"Someone must've found me and brought me to their house," he deduced. Leon grasped his throat in surprise. "My voice isn't all raspy anymore and-" His hand then went to his forehead. "-my fever's gone. Man, I must've been quite the inconvenience. I should apologize to them when they come around to check on me." He strained himself up to a sitting position. His Ranger instincts told him to inspect his surroundings and he did just that. Looking around, he determined that he was in an old-fashioned room. Three of the four walls that surrounded him were painted in warm green tones while the western wall was predominantly occupied by a couple of _shōji _doors. He saw a miniature indoor waterfall in one corner of the room and thought that it suited the peaceful ambiance that pervaded the room. Leon then cast his gaze on the floor. It was covered by a type of mat which name escaped him at that moment. He lightly traced circles on the flooring material with his finger, idly wondering about the fate of the Lapras he had released not too long ago.

"Is this a bad time to interfere with your moment of nostalgia?" a voice curiously inquired.

If Leon had been a rookie, he would have jerked out of the futon in shock. Luckily for him, he was a fairly experienced Ranger with an intense paranoid streak. It was times like this that he was proud of it so it would take a lot more that an intruding voice to take him by surprise. He had to admit though, he almost lost his composure there. He logically attributed that to the fact that he was not fully recovered yet; thus, his senses were not as sharp as they normally were.

Leon switched his attention from the floor to the progenitor of the voice who slid open one of the _shōji _doors. "Could he be the guy who found and treated me?" he pondered as he looked the guy over. He had neat black hair and was wearing a pair of semi-rimless eyeglasses. In terms of his clothing, he donned a purple robe with multiple sapphire rose prints on it. It was rather loose-fitting but it merely exposed a bit of his chest. Besides leaning against the side of the _shōji _door, he was balancing a tray it was occupied by a small teapot, a bowl and a ceramic cup on one hand.

"They are called tatami mats," the bespectacled individual informed him suddenly.

The eighteen-year-old Pokemon Ranger tilted his head in bewilderment. "Huh?"

The traditionally-garbed teen sat down cross-legged beside Leon and set the tray down on the floor next to him. "You look like you were captivated by them before you lost yourself in your reminiscence," he said. "I figured that you would like to know what they are called."

"Well, I wouldn't say I was 'captivated' but that's good to know," Leon replied in a wary manner. He still did not know who the person was so he decided to put forth a cautious front. Brushing his hand along the surface of a mat, he asked, "What are they made of?"

"The core is traditionally made from rice straw though nowadays rice straw can be substituted with compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam," the sapphire-eyed adolescent answered. He added, "They are also included with coverings of woven soft rush straw while some of them have edgings of brocade or plain cloth." He suddenly gave Leon a penetrating gaze. "Why don't you tell me what's really on your mind instead of trying to bore me with small talk?"

"It seems that he's not one for idle chatter," Leon mentally observed. "That just makes me even more nervous than I already am." Tensing himself for any sort of backlash, he hesitantly inquired, "Were you the one who... brought me here and treated me?"

The person of whom Leon was seeking an answer from propped an elbow on a thigh and rested his head on the palm of his hand. "And if I was?"

Scratching the back of his head, Leon stuttered, "Erm, I just wanna, you know, thank you for taking care of me and... apologize if I was an... inconvenience to you."

A noncommittal humming sound was the sapphire-eyed individual's response. 'Don't mention it' is what I would say," he began, "but I am far more interested in another matter than your gratitude. What exactly were you hoping to accomplish by wandering in a forest with a fever? Surely you must've realized that you weren't in perfect condition for such an excursion."

Leon was getting nervous. Though he owed the bespectacled individual for saving his life, he did not want to reveal any sensitive information to a civilian. If any of his superiors found out, he would be in monumentally gigantic trouble and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. His self-preservation instincts kicked in.

"I'm sorry but-"

"-that information is confidential," Leon's host guessed. Seeing the shocked look plastered on his guest's face made him roll his eyes. "Honestly, that attitude is so typical of you Pokemon Rangers."

A frown adorned Leon's features. He was getting highly suspicious of his host. "How did you-"

Said host raised a hand, interrupting Leon yet again. "Your questions can wait," he uttered with an air of finality. "For now, just concentrate on finishing this soup I made." With that said, he hoisted the bowl of soup by its handles and handed it over to Leon.

Leon was a bit put off by the guy's indifference. Did he not realize that he could get taken in under the suspicion of withholding information that was related to the Pokemon Ranger Corps? Before Leon could pursue the matter, he caught a whiff of the soup. Looking down, he noted that the broth was very clear, allowing him to see the finely-chopped vegetables that enhanced the presentation of the simple dish. His stomach began to grumble as he remembered that he only ate a protein bar before setting off to complete his mission. He realized that that probably wasn't a good move on his part.

The Ranger raised the bowl to his lips and took a tentative sip. The pleasant flavours exploded on his taste buds almost instantly. He resisted the urge to moan as if he was experiencing an orgasm. That would be beyond embarrassing. Instead, he said, "It's good."

The person sitting beside him shrugged. "Would there be any point in feeding a recovering individual bad-tasting soup?"

"...No, I suppose not," Leon admitted. Idly rolling a stick of carrot in his mouth, he asked, "How long have I been... unconscious?"

"Three-quarters of day," the sapphire-eyed teen answered laconically. "Your fever broke about six hours ago."

Gazing down at his reflection in the broth, Leon merely responded, "Oh." He contemplated about whether or not Commander Flynn would get suspicious of him for not contacting HQ straight away after completing his mission. Inwardly sighing, he set aside the thought of getting in touch with his commanding officer for later. It wasn't as if he would be dealt a severe punishment. At most, he would be given an earful but that would probably be it. Erasing all those negative thoughts from his head, he concentrated on finishing his soup.

A comfortable silence descended upon the two teens. Save for the occasional sounds that Leon would make from sipping his soup, they did not bother striking a conversation with one another. At one point, the taller teen scooted closer to the door and lit a cigarette. Leon made no comment. At least the former had enough decency to smoke away from him. Taking a few subtle sniffs, Leon detected a cinnamonny smell permeating the air around him. From that, he deduced that the cigarette was home-made. He was the guest after all so his word would not matter much.

Practically gulping the last bit of his soup, he set the bowl back on the tray and looked up at the bespectacled individual who was still smoking away without a care in the world. Opening his mouth, he started, "Can-"

"Drink the tea."

It wasn't a request, that much Leon could tell. It was more of a command, albeit a polite one. Exhaling in exasperation, he grabbed the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. Leon instantly knew what it was: green tea. A small smile crossed his face. Green tea happened to be one of his favourite drinks, not only because of the health benefits but the pleasant aroma as well. He couldn't remember the last time he had some since he was always preoccupied with his Ranger duties. That made the first sip all the more sweeter.

Leon ended up finishing the whole pot of tea. He felt a little bad for not offering his host some but he figured that the tea was meant only for him anyway. The reason? The traditionally-garbed adolescent was still assuming the same position when Leon glanced up at him. Sometimes, Leon wondered what it would be like to be a kid again. To be free of responsibility and simply enjoy life without any worries shackling you down. At that moment, the person in front of him symbolized the supposed result of his fantasies, except for the fact that he was not a young lad by any stretch.

"I'm done," Leon told him. "Thanks for the soup and tea."

The relaxed teen drew on his cigarette and exhaled some sweet-smelling smoke. "Never expected to find one with manners," he remarked as he gazed at Leon from the corner of his eye.

Leon furrowed his brows. Was that a compliment? "...Thanks, I think."

"You're very welcome," the nineteen-year-old replied tonelessly. He unfolded his legs and stood up. "I assume that you'd want your questions to be answered." Receiving a nod in reply to his question, he went over to the linen closet in the room and pulled the door open. He then grabbed a towel and casually tossed it to Leon. "Freshen up first. My brother will stop by later to lead you to the place where we shall have our discussion. Sound good?"

"Okay," Leon agreed as he wiped his face with the towel. He was feeling rather sticky and flushed anyway. A warm bath would probably do him some good. Removing the fluffy material from his face, he was surprised to find the bespectacled teen kneeling down in front of him.

"Anything?" Leon asked earnestly.

"I almost forgot" was what his host whispered before he brushed up Leon's bangs with his right hand and planted a kiss on the Ranger's forehead.

The Hoenn native froze. He wasn't particularly bothered by the kiss or the fact that he was just given one by a guy. Ever since he joined the Pokemon Ranger Corps, he had experienced the different cultures of the regions he had been assigned to with the exception of Unova and Orre. Thus, the eighteen-year-old attributed the sudden affection as being a part of his host's culture. However, he was baffled by the _way_ he was kissed. The feeling of smooth fingers pushing his bangs away and the utter gentleness at which those soft lips pecked his forehead, it induced a feeling of familiarity within him. It reminded him of the tender moments he used to share with his brother who was a Pokemon Ranger like him, albeit a more successful one. Familiarity made way for regret and sadness when he thought of the strained bond between them.

Seeing the sadness in his guest's eyes made the sapphire-eyed teen quirk up an eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting this reaction," he admitted. "You okay?"

Leon gazed up at him with a gloomy expression. He choked out, "W-Why?"

"It's a Unovan custom," the older boy said as he patted Leon's head in apology. "If you have someone sick in your home, then you should kiss them where it hurts to make them feel better. I guess that's mainly the reason why people in Unova, as advanced as they are, are mentioned to be very impressionable and friendly." He further observed, "Unfortunately, I seemed to have accomplished the exact opposite. My apologies."

The Ranger shook his head and managed a small smile at his host. "No, it's fine," he said. "You didn't know."

That seemed to be all the assurance the taller teen required as he went on to another topic. "When your done, put these on," he requested as he placed a small pile of clothing in the Ranger's arms.

Just by looking at them, Leon felt extremely uncomfortable. He could tell that they were going to be anything but simple-looking. Strangely, it was only then that he realized that he was wearing a plain white robe and not his old clothes.

"Erm," he began hesitantly, "thanks but I can't accept them. I think I've already imposed on you too much. My old clothes would do just fine." Leon thought what he said was innocent enough but he never expected the older boy to lose his composure.

"Oh for the love of Arceus," the bespectacled teen huffed before he slammed a fist down onto the floor and leaned in closer to the younger lad so that his breath was mingling with Leon's. He shouted, "Just shut up and accept my good deed!"

Leon staggered backwards until he fell on his back. "Y-Yes sir!" he replied instinctively.

"Honestly, this is why I can't stand Rangers," the irritated host grumbled as he got up to leave. "They always have to complicate things." Stopping by the door, he spared one last glance at his guest. "One more thing."

"Y-Yeah?" Leon stuttered nervously.

The edges of the traditionally-attired individual's lips lifted up ever so slightly. "Seishirou Syuusuke. That's my name. Pleasure to meet you," he introduced himself before he stepped outside and slid the door close.

As Leon watched Seishirou's shadow that was cast on the _shōji _doors move away, Leon did little to suppress the smile that crossed his features. He remarked, "Seishirou Syuusuke, huh? Not a bad name."

* * *

A brush here. A tug there. Leon frowned as he continued to adjust his new clothes. It wasn't that they were not comfortable to wear, it was just that _he _wasn't comfortable wearing them. These clothes which were given to him by Seishirou were a far cry from what he usually wore. He was not sure whether to consider that a good or a bad thing. Casting his gaze upon his reflection, he felt as though he was looking at an entirely different person. He was wearing a grey shirt under a dark red zip-up vest which had a white collar and a stripe of the same colour going around the bottom part of the garment. Speaking of the collar, Leon had a hard time deciding whether to leave the collar raised or fold it down. He eventually decided to keep it raised, remembering that turn-down collars were more his brother's style. As his eyes travelled downwards, he saw white wristbands, a blue belt with six Poke Balls attached to it, baggy blue denim jeans and a pair of white socks. Turning around and glancing over his shoulder, he caught sight of the white Poke Ball emblem on the back of the vest.

"This outfit will surely make me stand out in a crowd," the Ranger bemoaned. "Oh well, at least it reminds me a little of my Ranger uniform."

"Excuse me," a youthful voice called out. "I'm here to bring you to my onii-san."

The Ranger had just enough time to assume a nonchalant stance before the door slid open. There was no sense in worrying about something as irrelevant as clothing. Through his stereoscopic vision, he saw a bespectacled boy glancing up at him with an infectious grin on his face. Leon flashed a smile in reciprocation.

"You must be Seishirou's brother," Leon said, noting the striking resemblance the young boy had with the aforementioned person.

The spiky-haired youth nodded. "Yup, name's Seito," he said, "though I'm not Seishirou-nii's brother by blood. He adopted me two years ago."

"Huh?" Leon tilted his head in curiosity before he ventured forward and knelt down in front of Seito to get a closer look at him. Save for the hair and eyes, his face was near identical to Seishirou's if the baby fat wasn't taken into account. "For an adopted brother, you sure look... eerily similar to him," the Hoenn native remarked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were fibbing... but I can't think of any reason why you would do so."

"You're not the first one," Seito breathed out heavily. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother tryin' to convince people that I'm adopted. No matter how much I want to be related to him, I realize that it's impossible. The fact that people keep sayin' that I look just like Seishirou-nii makes me even more sad. I could just not say anything... but I don't want to lie to them, even if I'm doing it indirectly."

If Leon suddenly gained the ability to control time, he would erase the last minute without hesitation. He did not know that his simple observation would have such a negative effect on the silver-eyed kid. "I forgot that children are way more sensitive compared to adults," he thought reproachfully. "If I want to start a family in the near future, then I can't be making this stupid mistake again." He set his heart on correcting his blunder by comforting Seito. Leon encouraged, "Hey, don't feel so down in the dumps. It doesn't matter that you're not related to him, what matters is that he chose to adopt you."

Seito wrinkled his nose. He earnestly asked, "Why exactly does that matter?"

"Well, I really doubt that anyone forced him to take you in," Leon said. "He must have held some sort of affection towards you so I think that's what spurred him to do what he did. Though you may see yourself as only an adopted brother, I'm sure that Seishirou regards your status with irrelevance. I think that he sees the bond between you two as something far deeper than one conceived through the simple act of adoption. When I mentioned your brother's name, your face immediately shined with joy. From that, I can tell that Seishirou is sparing no effort to express his adoration and love towards you." He added, "Even you can see that, right?"

The bespectacled youth stared at Leon, trying to absorb the latter's explanation. "You're right," Seito breathed in realization. "Seishirou-nii has always been so kind and considerate towards me. He would always allow me to bathe with him if I ever ask." He giggled. "I especially like it when he lathers my hair with shampoo and blows the foam in my face. That's my favourite part when it comes to bathing with Seishirou-nii. Besides that, he taught me how to read and write, entertains me when he's not too busy and lets me snuggle against him every night when we go to bed." A sigh of contentment escaped through his lips. "I just love Seishirou-nii so much. He makes me... feel so warm inside."

Leon felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him upon witnessing Seito's innocent admiration of his adoptive brother. It made him remember the memories he had buried deep within the recesses of his mind. They were pleasant enough at first... but they got progressively worse as he continued to look them over.

* * *

_"Big bro, I wanna be a Pokemon Ranger just like you when I'm older."_

_"Looking to follow my lead is... admirable and all, but you should consider charting your own path in life."_

_"Why did you join the Pokemon Ranger Corps, Leon? Do you not realize the position you've put me in?"_

_"How would I know about your damn position? I joined of my accord, not because I wanted to emulate your success! This was my dream from the start!"_

_"Is it? Or are you just sick of that **woman** ignoring you and enthusing me constantly?"_

_"It... it has nothing to do with that!"_

_"Whatever. Do what you want. I don't care anymore."_

* * *

***SNAP* *SNAP***

He shook his head as he was jarred from his reminiscence and thrust back into reality. Leon blinked repeatedly as he tried to get rid of the blurriness in his vision. With his vision back to normal, he was able to make out the small fingers in his line of sight. "W-Wha...?"

"You spaced out there for a moment," Seito told Leon. "You okay?"

"Ah, I just... remembered something. M'kay though," Leon assured the young boy in front of him. He really hoped that Seito would just accept that and not prod him for any details. After all, he did not revisit those particular memories for a reason.

The silver-eyed youth eyed him sceptically but ultimately chose not to pursue the matter any further, much to Leon's relief. "If you say so," Seito said. "Let's go. I don't want to keep onii-san waiting."

Leon merely nodded. "Lead the way then."

"Oh, and thanks for comforting me. I appreciate it." Seito expressed his appreciation by giving the Ranger a cute smile before the former twirled around and began to distance himself from Leon, motioning for the guest to follow him.

A plain yet honest "you're welcome" was Leon's reply as he complied with Seito's request, making sure to keep within five steps of the small boy in front of him.

* * *

One of the most important principles that Leon learnt back when he was still accumulating the knowledge necessary to become an adequate Pokemon Ranger at the Ranger School in Almia was that if one was assigned to an unfamiliar territory, then he or she should make it a high priority to familiarize oneself with the surroundings. It could make the difference between life and death if difficulties were encountered. Though the principle did not apply to the interior of a civilian's home, the eighteen-year-old carried out the precautionary fundamental anyway, mostly out of habit. He straightaway discovered that the inside of the house was like a labyrinth. There were so many interconnected hallways that Leon thought that he would lose his mind and die right then and there. Leon chanced a look at his guide who was maintaining a brisk pace towards wherever Seishirou was waiting for them. The small kid was practically skipping while merrily humming a soft tune with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Such a casual attitude," Leon observed silently. "Doesn't the thought of getting lost within this maze concern him one bit? I highly doubt that he's memorized the entire layout of this place. No matter where we turn, everything looks exactly the same." The Ranger kept these thoughts to himself. He figured that whatever vague answer Seito would respond with, it would only make him even more confused that he already was, hence his decision to stay silent and pin his hopes on a seven-year-old kid who could just be leading him around in circles until he went mad.

Relief coursed through Leon's veins when they finally came to a stop. Gazing at the _shōji _doors in front of him, a small part of him had the sneaking suspicion that Seito had led him back to point A but he buried that misplaced sense of wariness right away. Leon could think of absolutely no reason that Seito would that do to him, especially not after the latter expressed his gratitude towards Leon for comforting him. The Ranger's faith in Seito was rewarded as the young boy called out, "Onii-san, I've brought him just like you asked. Sorry if we're a bit late."

"It's fine. Send him in," a familiar voice requested from the other side.

"Okey dokey," Seito chirped. The spiky-haired boy gave Leon a subtle wink and said, "Brace yourself."

"Wait, whaddya mean by th-" Before Leon could query Seito about the abrupt warning, the seven-year-old slid the doors open and Leon was immediately blasted by an abnormal mist. The Ranger let loose a couple of coughs as he frantically fanned his forearms across his face in an effort to make the fog dissipate faster. The fog soon cleared up, revealing the owner of the voice who was assuming a lax sitting position behind a round, low coffee table.

Seishirou drawled, "You sure took your sweet time."

"I wouldn't have had it not been for this labyrinth of a house of yours," Leon bickered exasperatedly, his words lacking any real venom. "If your brother wasn't-" The eighteen-year-old paused as he realized something upon keener observation: Seito was nowhere in sight. "Hey, where did he disappear to? He was in front of me a second ago."

"He's here when he needs to be... but he won't be here when he wants to be," Seishirou cryptically replied as an alarming smile made its presence known across his visage.

Leon's facial expression was the complete opposite of Seishirou's; the corners of his lips were curved downwards into a confused frown. "So," he began hesitantly, "you're saying that our conversation... does not require him to be present... in a sense that all the info that gonna be discussed... would not benefit him in any way?"

The bespectacled teen's bone-chilling smile grew wider. His guest could tell that he did not usually put on such an expression because it just looked so unnatural. "You catch on pretty quick," Seishirou said mirthfully. "You've chalked up a couple of more points in my book."

In response, Leon gave Seishirou a mere nod of his head. Though he was all for people viewing him in a favourable light, he wasn't so sure if he felt the same way when it concerned a person like Seishirou. There was just something about the sapphire-eyed teen that made him feel highly disconcerted. He knew that it was unfair of him to judge Seishirou too quickly but the latter's mannerisms gave Leon the impression that he was hiding something from him. That made Seishirou all the more suspicious in his eyes.

Speaking of Seishirou, he extended an arm forward and motioned for Leon to sit down facing him on the other side of the table; the Ranger promptly did so. Once he ascertained that his guest was comfortable, Seishirou then told Leon, "As promised, you are now free to ask me anything you like. I can't promise you that I'll reciprocate each and every one of your queries with an answer so I suggest you ensure that whatever you ask me is relevant enough."

"Alright," Leon accepted Seishirou's stipulation. He figured that he should repeat the question which he directed at his host earlier. Leon looked at Seishirou straight in the eye and asked, "How do you know that I'm a Pokemon Ranger?"

Seishirou simply snorted upon hearing the question as he reached behind his back and produced a familiar gadget; it was Leon's bracer-like communication device.

Leon's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah, that's my-" It was only thanks to his quick reflexes attained through years of hard work in the Pokemon Ranger Corps that he was able to catch the device when Seishirou suddenly flung it at him.

"I found it still wrapped around your right forearm," Seishirou mentioned. "Try to exercise a little subtlety next time if you don't want common folk such myself finding out about your Ranger identity."

Leon avoided eye contact with Seishirou as he bit his lower lip in frustration. He could not believe that he had made such a rookie mistake. If his superiors came to know of this blunder, they would have his head for sure. Granted, he was sick but Leon was convinced that they will not accept that plant moss of an excuse. Hands trailing along the exterior of his device, he suddenly hatched an idea which could save his sorry butt from being suspended.

He proceeded with his second question. "Did you hack into my communication device by any chance?" Leon queried, trying to keep the accusatory tone down to a minimum. If things went his way, then he would be able to apprehend Seishirou for committing said offence. It was a rather poor way to express his gratitude towards the bespectacled teen for saving his life but Leon loved his profession as a Pokemon Ranger too much to have it suddenly ripped away from him. His host raised an eyebrow, prompting Leon to add, "Before I passed out, I transferred some data to the main database. Who's to say that you didn't trace the information and download some sensitive files? The security of the Pokemon Ranger Corps is at risk here."

"Reel in that urgency for a moment and give me a second." Seishirou reached under the coffee table and pulled out two items: a bulbous, narrow-necked flask; and a small, cylindrical cup. He held the cup near the opening of the flask and tilted the latter object; a clear liquid streamed out of the flask and into the cup. Setting the ceramic flask down onto the table, he pressed the brim of the cup to his lips and tilted his neck back slightly, finishing the drink in one gulp. "Ah, that hit the spot," he sighed in contentment. "I can always count on my trusty seishu sake."

"Um, if you're done, can we go back to my ques-"

Seishirou held up a hand. "I'm getting to it," he said. He pressed his hands on the tatami and leaned back, maintaining eye contact with the Ranger all the while. Stifling a hiccup, he told the Ranger, "The answer is no."

Leon grew perplexed. "Surely you know that an answer that simple won't stave off my suspicions of you," he pointed out.

"Of course I know," Seishirou replied calmly. "Allow me to give you a gist of what I think might transpire from this point onward." Pouring himself another cup of sake, he resumed, "You'd continue to believe that I'm lying just to save my own skin while I'd still maintain my innocence. Unconvinced, you'd give me a mechanical device and ask me to dismantle or hack into it. We would then be caught in an unending spiral where I would deny having any talents with regard to technology while you would remain adamant that I do and threaten to take me into custody which, of course, would only mean trouble for you since your superiors will indirectly discover that you've committed the stupid mistake of letting your identity as a Pokemon Ranger be compromised." Seishirou took a small sip of his sake. "If you apprehend me, then there's a chance that I would be proven innocent which won't be doing you any favours." He eyed Leon critically and pondered aloud, "Are you suspicious of everyone you meet? That's such a... sad way to live your life."

"Well, excuse me if the way I do my job doesn't appeal to you," Leon retorted. "The safety and security of the Pokemon Rangers Corps matters a whole lot to me. Earlier, you said that you couldn't stand us Rangers so my suspicions aren't entirely unfounded."

The older of the two teens resisted the urge to groan in exasperation. "Do you automatically assume the worst of every statement?" Seishirou ventured forcefully. "That's very paranoid... even for a Pokemon Ranger."

"What right do-"

"Shut up and let me finish," Seishirou cut him off abruptly. "The phrase 'can't stand' could mean a variety of things. In my case, it borders between complete indifference and minor dislike. If I really held you Rangers in utter contempt, I would've simply left you there on the cold, hard ground to become food for prowling predators. I would have one less thing to worry about." Another small stream of sake travelled down his throat. "I even surprised myself when I instead chose to put aside my slight antipathy towards you Rangers and save you. I appreciate the gratitude you showed me earlier but that has been rendered irrelevant with all these accusatory remarks you keep throwing at me. You sure do have a way with people."

Leon gritted his teeth and looked down at the communication device which was tightly gripped within the palms of his hands. His plan had backfired and now his heart was aching with guilt. Though he still maintained that there was nothing wrong with his approach to dealing with Seishirou, he could feel his resolve slowly crumbling.

Sensing Leon's growing discomposure, Seishirou decided to enlighten the Ranger of the... finer details of his recovery. "I'm not really sure if this would mean anything to you," he said, "but when I brought you here, your temperature was bordering between forty-one and forty-two degrees."

Seishirou's guest jerked his head upwards and stared intently into his host's eyes, searching for any mirth or amusement in them; Leon found none. His whole body quivered when he realized that Seishirou was serious. "I-I was... that c-close?" he stammered weakly.

"Yes," Seishirou reiterated. "Since waiting for the fever to break was out of the question, I had to depend on an unorthodox and risky treatment method to bring down your temperature back down to the normal range." Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a piece of paper and smacked it down onto the table. He lifted his hand up, allowing Leon to see the markings on the paper. "I had to resort to using a healing seal."

"Healing seal?" Leon echoed, rather unfamiliar with the treatment method.

The nineteen-year-old nodded. "Sealing... is a rather complex art," he began. "The margins of error are so small that even a single wrong stroke of the brush could result in failure. To delve into an art this extensive, one must have an eye for detail and lots of patience. The most basic of seals are often used to store items of importance. Also, crafting wards involve a bit of sealing as well. It helps if you are proficient in calligraphy as you shall increase the value of the written incantations. Seal a bit of your aura into those beautiful words and you'll have yourself a strong ward that can repel uninvited... 'visitors'."

"Judging from that detailed explanation, would I be right in saying that you are good in the sealing arts?" Leon asked, rather interested in the new topic.

"No, you would be wrong," Seishirou denied. "I don't even come close to being considered... 'good'. It took me a long time to successfully craft a usable seal and that's only when my grandmother convinced me to give it another shot after I quit due to frustration. I'm a patient person... but even I have my limits." Those unpleasant memories threatened to resurface in his head so Seishirou quickly downed two cups of sake. Hiccuping slightly, he went on, "Of all the kinds of seals that are available, I would say that healing seals are the most troublesome to craft. It requires extensive knowledge on the human body carries a huge element of risk to both parties. I just hate making them so much but given the circumstances, I had no choice."

Leon nervously spoke, "But, what matters is that it worked, right? Shouldn't you be elated that your healing seal came out fine?"

Seishirou gave Leon a flat stare. "Up until that point, every single one of my attempts to craft a healing seal ended up in failure," he informed Leon. "One time, I got bedridden for three whole days as I put too much of my aura into the seal and ended up being blasted by the backlash. If that wasn't enough, I used my blood as the ink for the healing seal." He paused and showed Leon the scar on the palm of his left hand. "This significantly increased the curing properties of the seal. However, with every upside, there's always a downside. If the seal were to fail, you would have to bear the brunt of the backlash. With a seal that powerful, your body would've probably imploded since it was so weak at that time."

A raspy gasp was released as the Ranger's mouth hung open in shock. Leon often envisioned the way he would die in the line of duty but the thought that he was going to leave the realm of the living via implosion never crossed his mind even once. He presumed that that was only possible if he was sent into space without a helmet. He looked down at his hands again only to discover that they were shaking.

"You have no idea the amount of pressure that was bearing down on my shoulders at that time," Seishirou spoke evenly. "Should I feel elated that everything turned out fine? Perhaps. But there's a part of me that wonders what would've happened if the treatment had not been successful. I would have to bear the heavy burden of failing to save you for the rest of my life and my brother would have been mentally scarred upon seeing death for the first time. All of these 'what ifs', they override any feelings of relief that I should be experiencing upon finding out that the healing seal was a success." His gaze found his reflection in the sake. "I was afraid... and I don't want to be put in that position again. I... can't afford to do that to Seito any more. Tears... are not meant to flow down his sunny expression."

The Hoenn native sighed sadly. After hearing all that, he could not bear to entertain the notion of taking Seishirou into custody just to save his own skin. Even if he did, he would not have any solid evidence to support his accusations. He had let his paranoia get the better of him. Licking his lips, he decided that he would hold on to the hope that his superiors do not come to know of his... misstep. Should things not go his way, then he would face whatever repercussion they had in store for him like a true Pokemon Ranger instead of looking for a scapegoat.

"I'm sorry," Leon apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have... acted the way I did."

Seishirou responded with a question. "The information that you've gained within the past five minutes, is it enough to warrant a dismissal of your accusations towards me?"

"Yes," the brown-eyed teen replied firmly.

Though Seishirou's expression softened by just a mere fraction, it was enough to make Leon cast aside his nervousness. "I forgive you then," he uttered.

Those words served as the spark for Leon to release all the air he stored up in his lungs as a sign of relief. He gratefully said, "Thanks."

Instead of reciprocating with the usual 'you're welcome' phrase, the traditionally-garbed adolescent presented Leon with a subtle nod of his head. "Now that that's over and done with," he drawled, "let us talk about my fee."

"Huh?" Leon didn't like the direction in which the conversation was heading.

"Surely you can't begrudge me a little compensation," Seishirou went on. "I did save your life so you are technically in my debt. Given the fact that I risked my life in the process of saving yours, I'm afraid that the price is rather steep but I'm sure that an _honourable _Pokemon Ranger such as yourself won't have any trouble paying it off."

The adjective with which Seishirou used to describe him was spot on. Leon absolutely hated being in someone else's debt and would put emphasis on paying it off above everything else. Still, there were creaks in his honourable attitude as he weakly protested, "B-But I-"

"Of course, you could just walk away," Seishirou offered. Seeing Leon's hopeful expression, the bespectacled ruthlessly banished it away as he warned, "If you do that, I won't be held responsible should any... unfortunate accidents befell you."

Leon's face immediately fell. At that point, he was positive that there was no way that he could weasel himself out of his current situation. "Okay," he sighed in defeat. "How can I settle my debt to you?"

The sapphire-eyed teen downed another cup of sake and looked at Leon through curious eyes. He inquired, "Before we get to that, may I have your name?"

"Leon," the Ranger answered without hesitance. A raised eyebrow was what he received from Seishirou.

"Surname?"

Leon bit the inside of his cheek and glanced away from his host for a brief moment. He debated whether or not to divulge that piece of information to the person in front of him. Against his better judgement, he meekly revealed, "Strife. My full name is... Leon Strife." He closed his eyes and waited for the comparisons to begin.

The surname was indeed familiar to Seishirou though he knew better than to pursue the matter further than necessary. From Leon's expression, he could tell that the particular subject was a source of great strife (no pun intended) to him. Respectfully, he said, "You have a good name, Strife-kun. You should be proud of it."

Gasping slightly, Leon opened his eyes and stared at Seishirou in bewilderment. He certainly did not expect that reaction. Registering what Seishirou had just said, a slight blush crept across his cheeks. "...Thanks. Um, right back at you."

Once again, Seishirou sent a nod the Ranger's way as he absentmindedly tapped his chin. Adjusting his glasses, he suddenly said, "You are very good at cooking and housekeeping." It sounded more like a statement than a question.

That statement startled Leon as he smacked his hands on the table and leaned his body forward. "H-How did y-you know that?" he stammeringly asked.

"You just told me," Seishirou chimed with a smile. "You fell for oldest psychological trick in the book, Strife-kun."

Upon realizing that, his arms gave way as Leon allowed his forehead to slam onto the table. Mentally, he berated himself, "I can't believe that I was that naive."

"You must work it off," Seishirou enunciated.

Leon looked up at the taller teen in confusion. "What?"

"Work here at this place as a part-timer," Seishirou told the Hoenn native. Tracing his jawline with his fingers, he resumed, "When your hard work is equivalent to your debt, we call it even."

"Isn't there any other way that I can settle my debt without having to become your slave?" Leon mumbled.

Seishirou narrowed his eyes at his guest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Leon shot back rapidly as he frantically waved his arms up and down. "So, er, when do I start?"

"Today," Seishirou answered. "We have to have a small welcoming party just between you and me."

"But, after doing so much for me already..."

Ignoring him, Seishirou continued to uncharacteristically gush, "And we can't have a party without good sake and good fish." He then snapped his fingers; a brilliant thought came to him. "That's it. Why don't you go shop for the ingredients? I don't think it's that tedious of a task. I'll pay you back later." With that said, Seishirou slipped his fingers into his robe and pulled out a folded piece of paper, holding it out towards his new part-timer in the process.

"...Wait a minute," Leon breathed evenly as he accepted the paper. "Asking me to go shopping? This doesn't feel like my welcoming party at all!"

All of the Ranger's protests were quickly snuffed out by his new employer. Once it was clear to him that the argument wasn't going to swing in his favour, Leon relented and numbly excused himself to complete his given task. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he had forgotten about the place's labyrinth-like interior. Luckily for him, Seito chose at that exact moment to make his presence known and became Leon's guide once again.

Both of their shadows shrunk until they disappeared from the surface of the _shōji _doors, leaving Seishirou as the only occupant of the room. Without having anything better to do, he indulged in his sake, drinking cup after cup up until the very last drip. Remarkably, he did not give in to intoxicating effects of the alcoholic beverage despite consuming a rather large amount of it. Just when he thought of taking a wee nap, he spotted a small shadow through the large translucent paper which was the main component of these kinds of doors.

"Come in, Caedes," Seishirou replied to the Pikachu's unspoken question. "I know it's you."

On cue, on the doors slid aside, revealing the Pikachu who had a distinctively diagonal scar in between his eyes. There was an unusually sombre expression plastered on his face as he refused to meet Seishirou's gaze. Fighting the urge to even take a small glimpse at the human, Caedes tenderly asked, "Seishirou..., can we talk... about yesterday?"

When the impulse to smile came to Seishirou, he did little to suppress it. Coincidentally, the sapphire-eyed human was thinking of having this conversation with Caedes when he came back from Eclipse's restaurant but he had to put that on hold as he was extremely exhausted from treating Leon. He responded in an affection-laced tone, "Of course, Caedus-kun."

The Pikachu slowly looked up at his Trainer, his facial expression now neutral. Going through his memories, he failed to recall the last time Seishirou had referred to him by that affectionate term. Gradually, his features shifted to the positive end of the emotion spectrum as the corners of his mouth arched upward.

_"Thank you, Seishirou."_

* * *

The corporal-ranked Ranger flipped his cellphone closed with a sigh. As he had expected, he was given quite an earful from Commander Flynn when he decided to inform the latter of the recent events that had prevented him from contacting the main HQ immediately after the completion of his mission. Despite his reservations on not being completely honest with his superior, he ultimately chose to omit the parts involving his new employer. Leon stood rigidly in the supermarket's produce aisle as Commander Flynn lambasted him through his phone. He did not know how long his superior's tirade was going to last but he bore it all silently. Perhaps that was the reason why he escaped with just a warning.

"Look on the bright side," he respired tiredly as he dug his right ear with the tip of his right index finger in a screwing motion. "At least I got that off my chest. If I'd delayed in contacting Commander Flynn for just another day, he might have stripped me of my ranking without a second thought." Immediately after that, Leon shook his head from side to side. "Now then, time to focus on my given task." He browsed through the different kinds of vegetables before him, searching for the one specified in the shopping list. "Ah, there you are." He reached his hand out and grabbed a red-coloured pepper. Looking at the price tag, a frown crossed his features. Leon complained, "Ugh, this thing is so expensive. That slave driver is lucky that I brought some extra cash. He better make good on his promise to pay me back." Dropping the fruit into his shopping basket, he took out the shopping list to cross it out. "Let's see, the only things that are left are Tynamo and Remoraid meat. The meat aisle then."

Said aisle was located on the other side of the rather large supermarket so Leon had to put up with the strain exerted on the muscles of his right arm by the heavy shopping basket as he trod towards his penultimate stop with heavy steps. It did not help his cause when there were many people in the establishment at that current moment but Leon had grown used to them ever since his mother started bringing him along during her trips to the supermarket back home. Finally arriving at the meat aisle, he placed the shopping basket down with a huff.

Softly massaging his right shoulder, Leon began looking for the types of white meat Seishirou had wanted him to buy. The Tynamo meat proved easy enough to find since the EleFish Pokemon were native to the waters surrounding Caelum City. The Remoraid meat, however, was a different story altogether. That particular species of Pokemon seldom migrate far from Johto and given the immense distance between that region and Caelum City, the probability of catching them at the latter location was almost zero per cent. Therefore, Remoraid meat was seen as somewhat of a rare delicacy among the residents of Caelum City. The stock of Remoraid meat often disappeared from the shelves just a day after they were put there. Talks of importing the meat from Johto emerged but the members of the city council rejected those notions almost immediately under the basis that they wanted the city's people to be self-reliant.

Leon knew this and would have called it a day had Seishirou not requested for just a single packet of the aforementioned meat. He thought that giving up just because he could not find a single item would be a massive blow to his Ranger pride; therefore, Leon soldiered on with his search for the specific kind of white meat. Fifteen minutes had passed and the Hoenn native still had not found what he was looking for. His patience was a mere hair's breath away from snapping until he saw it: the elusive Remoraid meat. There was just a single, moderate-sized packet of the meat lying on the shelf in front of him. His fingers - trembling as they reached for it - grasped one of the packet's edges. Breathing out a huge sigh of relief, Leon began to pull it towards him. The fact that it was suddenly jerked away from him did not escape his notice.

The Ranger turned his neck sharply towards the perpetrator who had his own fingers on one edge of the packet. The guy had shaggy, light brown hair with a reddish tint to it, blue eyes and rather pale skin. The bags under his eyes gave Leon the impression that the brown-haired guy did not sleep all that well. Tall and thin, he wore a green T-shirt under a navy blue hoodie which was about halfway zipped up. As Leon's eyes settled on the lower half of his body, he inwardly cringed. The pale-skinned boy was attiring a pair of frayed jeans with the left side of the pants completely ripped out from the knee down. Freedom of expression was one thing but Leon opined that it should not overstep the boundaries to the point of it being seen as indecent.

"Yo," the brown-haired boy drawled. "Name's Will Flowers."

"...Leon Strife," returned Leon with equal indifference.

Further exchange of words was halted as the two boys stared at each other, awaiting for the topic of conversation to be introduced. Both were curious as to who would take the initiative in the rather awkward meeting between strangers. Seconds ticked by and before they knew it, a full minute had passed with the core ingredient of the colloquy still remaining elusive. It unexpectedly became a game of patience between the civilian and the peacekeeper. The game corresponded with everyone's expectations, if there were any spectators to begin with: David failed to engineer an upset over Goliath.

"Do you mind letting go?" Will asked with a hopeful tone.

Giving the blue-eyed teen a glazed, half-lidded glare, Leon deadpanned, "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"I've gone through five supermarkets in order to get some Remoraid meat so you should relinquish your hold on the 'sacred delicacy' in an act of kindness and understanding." The volume of Will's voice had risen considerably.

A vein popped in Leon's head. "Oh yeah, I passed out in a forest with a high fever that nearly killed me and woke up to find myself under forced servitude to a guy who seems intent on making me work for him until I'm buried six feet under!" He added, "If anyone's in serious need of a break here, it's me!"

"Really? I'm sorry," Will apologized sincerely. Immediately after that, he sang a different tune. "Wait a minute. Actually, I'm not sorry because I'm not so naive as to believe everything a stranger tells me, especially a tale that ludicrous in nature." A light bulb suddenly lit up in his head. "I know how to solve this problem. The solution is both fair and easy to understand." Will then pointed his finger at Leon and asked, "How old are you?"

Leon knew where Will was going by asking him that specific question but he humoured the latter all the same. "Eighteen."

"That settles it then," Will stated. "Since I'm younger than you by one year, you just have to play the role as the kind-hearted elder and allow me to walk away with the prize in hand." He slowly tugged the packet of Remoraid meat closer to him. "You understand, don't you?"

"If you're really gonna play the age card," Leon said as he tightened his hold on the thing they were both vying for, "then it should be you who lets go, seeing as you are younger than me and need to respect your elders."

Will shot back, "Respect is earned, not given so that means your point isn't valid!" The seventeen-year-old Unova native took a deep, calming breath before he calmly suggested, "Look, why don't you give me the Remoraid meat and I'll pay for all that stuff you have in your shopping basket? It's a pretty good deal if ya ask me."

"No thanks," Leon refused. "This is my first day on the job. Despite what I feel about my new employer, I don't what to disappoint him by not coming back with the vital component to tonight's dinner. Now, if you be so kind-" The Pokemon Ranger grasped the packet of meat tightly. "-let go!"

"No, you let go! I promised my sister that I'll be cooking fish tonight and she's getting it!"

"Like I care! My name is much cooler than yours! What kind of surname is 'Flowers' anyway?"

"Insulting my family name, huh? How the high standards set by the elders of the past have fallen," Will bemoaned in dramatic fashion. "I now can't even entertain the thought of letting you walk away with this valuable source of protein after being utterly disrespected. I demand retribution!"

Leon snipped, "Denied. If it involves handing the Remoraid meat over to you in any way, then you can forget it. Just stop it with your stalling and get your little fingers off of this item this instant!"

"As if! There's no way I'm letting you have it. Gimme!"

"No, you gimme!"

"You!"

"You!"

"Stop copying me!"

"Like I'd do something that embarrassing!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

The pair continued to trade insults, failing to achieve a compromise that would leave both parties satisfied. Some shoppers came across the argument; most of them turned a blind eye to it and went about their business while others lingered for a while before too becoming bored of the debacle and distancing themselves from the rather humorous scene. Eventually, both Will and Leon ran out of ammunition and settled on simply glaring at one another. Each hoped that intimidation could force the other to back down but both failed to accomplish this. They sighed in unison.

Leon suggested, "Why don't we go outside? I think that we both need a dose of fresh air to help us resolve this dilemma."

"Fine," Will concurred with Leon's suggestion. "In regards to who's paying for the Remoraid meat, let's just split it equally."

Nodding at the brown-haired teen, Leon relinquished his hold on the item and followed the former as he led Leon over to a checkout lane. There, they each paid for their own groceries and half the value of the meat as per Leon's suggestion. Will then passed the packet of meat to Leon and exited the supermarket with the latter following closely behind.

* * *

"Are you sure that there's no other alternative?" Leon asked as he hesitantly grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt and enlarged it.

"If there was, then I would've thought 'bout it by now," Will responded, balancing an expanded Poke Ball on the tip of his index finger. "Unless you've been living under a rock for your whole live, you should know that a Pokemon battle is the go-to method when a problem remains unresolved after people have exhausted all the options available to them. It's unbiased, unprejudiced and above all else, fair. The winner gets the spoils while the loser is left to lick the wounds. There are also almost no loopholes on which you can exploit to alter the tide in your favour. Need I say more?"

Leon shook his head and replied, "Nah, I get you."

Though he knew that there will be times that he would have to use his Pokemon to resolve conflicts, he just wished that those clashes of opinion did not arise because of stupid matters like food. He did not like to use his Pokemon unnecessarily, a belief coalesced from his multiple meetings with Professor Hastings. According to the professor, Pokemon should be treated as partners and not expendable tools, hence Leon's preference for Capture Stylers over Poke Balls. He would much rather tame a Pokemon and release it immediately instead of containing it inside a spherical device but some situations - especially when he was off-duty - left him little choice but to pick the second option; he was therefore thankful that his Pokemon were very understanding of his position. It was rather unethical to have six Pokemon follow you in the open anyway. In spite of all his Pokemon having received some degree of formal training in the Pokemon Ranger Corps, their natural instinct to show off their strength like any other Pokemon remained intact. The only way to quench their thirst for battle was to involve them in Pokemon battles, something that Leon was extremely hesitant on doing at first after having left the circuit to become a Pokemon Ranger. Gradually, he found himself regaining a bit of the passion he had when he was an active Trainer. As a result, the issues he had with Pokemon battles started to become non-existent; heck, he began viewing them as practice sessions to improve on his leaderships skills in preparation for the day when he would _officially _lead a squadron of Pokemon Rangers on a mission.

Musings aside, the two boys had resumed their discussion outside the supermarket in a more civilized manner and ultimately settled on having a Pokemon battle. Next, they figured out the location to have the battle: Caelum City Park. It was pretty spacious so they could have their battle without attracting the attention of people of the overzealous sort. After a tough day for both of them - Will still refused to believe Leon's recounting of the events that plagued him - they did not want strangers nosing in about their business.

"To tell ya the truth, battling's really not my thing," Will revealed nonchalantly.

Leon's brows furrowed in bewilderment. "Then why you'd suggest this in the first place?"

"Doesn't mean I'm bad at it," Will responded with a small grin. "Just means that you have the advantage here, given you're participatin' in the Zenith League and all." The blue-eyed boy curled his index finger and allowed the Poke Ball to settled in the palm of his hand. "Too late to back down now. Huh, bummer. Oh well." He cleared his throat. "Go, Flareon!"

The Fire-type evolution of Eevee emerged from her Poke Ball in a bright sparkle and landed on the ground, letting loose a determined snarl.

Upon seeing his opponent's Pokemon, Leon was tempted to switch the Poke Ball he held in his hand with the one attached furthest to the left side of his belt as it contained a Pokemon which would serve to put Will's Flareon at a severe disadvantage. He dismissed that thought instantly. It was simply not in his character to be satisfied with easy victories.

"I just hope that my sense of honour doesn't come to bite me in the butt," Leon said to himself. "Umbreon, show them what you got!"

Unlike her Fire-type counterpart, Umbreon cut a more relaxed figure as she landed gracefully on all fours and sat down on her haunches, eyeing her opponent silently.

Will grumbled, "You pityin' me or something? I know from your body language that you were contemplatin' on switchin' Poke Balls just now. If I would have to guess, it probably contains either a Rock-type or Ground-type, maybe even a Pokemon that has both of those typings."

"This guy has the makings of a good interrogator," Leon mused, mildly impressed by Will's observational skills. "No, I am not," he denied. "I want this battle to be fought with each side having his own fair chance at victory. Having a handicap over my opponent doesn't sit well with me at all. My Ranger pride doesn't permit me to settle for anything less than a hard-fought win."

"Geez, all are Pokemon Rangers this uptight?" Will huffed. "A 'no' would've suffice. All that talk about honour and pride, I don't dig it."

Leon barely managed to stifle a gasp. "How can you not comprehend the nature and significance of those two fairly simple concepts?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Look, it's not that I don't understand them," he began, "it's just that I don't want to complicate my life by wrapping my mind around unnecessary crap. It's better to simply believe the things in life rather than waste your time trying to comprehend them. Scientists are the most troublesome lot. They always seek to convince people to accept their theories and are so unbelievably arrogant that they do not even consider the possibility that their opinions may be flawed. On another note, the debates that are televised live are sometimes completely ridiculous. I don't understand why people would want to claim that Mew is the true Creator when Arceus has held that title since the beginning of time. And so what if that claim was somehow proven to be true? The only thing that would change is that all forms of worship will be centered around Mew instead of Arceus. As for the guy who came with this wacky theory, he'll just get braggin' rights. Life'd be much simpler if people didn't seek to question everything around them all the time. Call me ignorant if you must but I'd much rather stay the ignorant fool I am instead of wasting my time thinking about stupid stuff. Setting out to prove what is right and what is wrong - it's just not worth it. I'm content with the way I live my life... and I'm not looking to change it anytime soon."

"You... have a good point there," Leon murmured. It was exactly how he behaved towards Seishirou earlier. Had he simply given Seishirou the benefit of a doubt, then he would not have discovered that he had almost died. As a result, he was now forced to live with that memory for the rest of his life. Granted, it wasn't as bad as the memory of his first kill - he still could not get the image of the Rocket operative's head exploding from impact with the bullet he had shot - but it still weighed heavily on his mind.

"Whatevs," Will dismissed Leon's attempt to flatter him with a wave of his hand. "I think I've rambled enough. Let's get this show on the road."

A competitive grin stretched across Leon's face. "Then I hope you won't mind that we'll start things off!" he exclaimed without warning. "Umbreon, Shadow Ball!"

Said Dark-type Pokemon immediately abandoned her relaxed stance and shifted into one more appropriate for combat in a show of constant alertness. She promptly focused a fraction of her energy in front of her maw; a small, purple orb of energy came into existence almost immediately. It gradually got bigger and bigger until it was roughly the size of a soccer ball. Narrowing her eyes at Will's Pokemon, she jumped up, arched her back inwards and fired the spherical projectile at Flareon.

"Hey, no fair!" Will yelled out indignantly. "I wasn't ready yet!"

"Too bad, so sad," Leon cheekily replied.

"Grr, I'll show 'em," Will growled as he regarded the Ghost-based attack that was zooming towards his Pokemon. "The best defence is a good offence. Flareon, use Flame Charge!"

Flareon duly obeyed as she stood up on her hind legs and slammed her front legs into the ground. She repeated this motion several times until a large cloud of dirt and dust enshrouded her entire body. A second ticked by before the Flame Pokemon jumped out of the dust cloud enveloped in flames and dashed forward. She met the Shadow Ball head-on and this resulted in an small explosion. The Ghost-based move did little to deter the Fire-type Pokemon as she continued on her sprint towards her opponent.

"Dodge it, Umbreon!" Leon commanded.

The Moonlight Pokemon hastily dodged and rolled to her left, barely avoiding the charging Flareon. She still suffered superficial damage though as the flames surrounding her opponent licked and singed small patches of her fur on the right side of her body.

"Again. Flame Charge," Will repeated his order.

Maintaining the cloak of flames, Flareon angled her body to the side and planted her legs on the ground, creating a small wave of pebbles in the process. Akin to a professional racer, she took advantage of the leftover momentum stored in her body to swerve around so that her opponent re-entered her sights. The Flame Pokemon proceeded to dash at her target once again.

"That Flareon's got some pretty good understanding of how its body works," Leon assessed with a trained eye. "I guess there's no point in having Umbreon feel her opponent out. We're in for a tough battle." Swinging his right arm outward, Leon instructed, "Halt that Flareon's charge with Dark Pulse."

The Dark-type evolved form of Eevee threw her head from side to side and raised her upper body so that she was standing on her hind legs. Umbreon then slammed her front legs onto the ground and lowered her jaws, releasing a beam of black and purple circles at the incoming, fire-cloaked Flareon.

"The superior power of Dark Pulse should cancel out that cloak of flames and hopefully inflict some damage on Flareon," Leon thought hopefully.

Will snorted. "Convert Flame Charge to Fire Spin," directed he.

Flareon smirked as she dug her heels into ground, effectively changing her method of movement from sprinting to sliding. While continuing to slide forward, the Flame Pokemon began to repeatedly execute 360-degree spins. Then, she abruptly shed her cloak of fire and manipulated the flames so that they swirled around her in a rather lengthy diameter. She just went from being encompassed in a cocoon of flames to being enclosed in a mini-tornado of fire.

The collision of attacks of contrasting energies resulted in a surge of light from the point of contact, forcing Leon and Will to shut their eyes to avoid being blinded by the extreme radiance. Once the light died down, both teens opened their eyes: they saw that the mini-tornado was still actively swirling around Flareon, thereby coming to the conclusion that Flareon's Fire Spin had cancelled out Umbreon's Dark Pulse.

"Good work, Flareon," Will complimented his Pokemon as he watched her dispel the bright red flames.

In response to her Trainer's praise, Flareon executed a back-flip and yipped happily.

Leon was stunned, not to the point that his mind would shut down but stunned nonetheless. "How did that happen?" Leon pondered aloud. "On paper, Dark Pulse is more powerful than Flame Charge. The result should have been the other way around."

Will decided to entertain his opponent's curiosity. "You're correct," he began. "Your Umbreon's Dark Pulse should have overpowered my Flareon's Fire Spin. As you can see, it didn't go according to your plan. The reason behind this phenomenon is that I had my Flareon utilize a simple tai chi technique."

"Tai chi?" Leon echoed.

"Yup," Will confirmed. "Had the attacks collided in a linear manner, then the expected outcome would have occurred. Flareon prevented that from happening by releasing her attack in a circular pattern. This is where tai chi comes into play. The essential point of t'ai chi ch'uan or tai chi as it known in several parts of the world is to repel an opponent's attacks with a circular movement. It works especially well against attacks that are linear in nature. The whole concept is pretty easy to understand, right?"

"...Ingenious," Leon whispered breathlessly. He was beginning to think that Will was hiding his true potential so that it would throw him off his game. Leon's suspicions did hold merit this time because Will's Flareon had proven to be quite versatile in battle. In his opinion, a Pokemon simply could not attain that level of prowess without the guidance of a good Trainer. The Pokemon Ranger's internal debate did not go unnoticed by his opponent who sought to take full advantage of his momentary lapse of concentration.

Will shouted, "Quick Attack, Flareon!"

His combatant swiftly charged at Umbreon with a white streak trailing behind her. The Eeveelutions - save for Jolteon and Espeon - were average in the speed department so it wasn't all that difficult for a well-trained Pokemon to avoid their dash-type techniques. In Will's Flareon's case, however, multiple usages of Flame Charge had upped her speed to a point where she could rival her Electric and Psychic-type counterparts in that area. This fact slipped Umbreon's mind so she was stunned when Flareon rammed into her with greater speed than she had expected, sending her flying backwards and crashing into the ground.

Umbreon's cry of pain knocked Leon out of his thoughts as he uncharacteristically growled at Will. "No fair!" Leon squalled. "My head wasn't in the game at that time!"

"Too bad, so sad," Will mocked Leon in a sing-song voice. He then focused his attention back to the battle.

Stifling a growl of annoyance, Leon assessed the terrain around him. His eyes darted left and right as he searched for anything that could aid him in regaining some momentum from Will. "Let's see," he said as he began his analysis of the battlefield. "The ground seems to be mostly even so Dig would work wonders here. Even better, Flareon is weak against an attack of that typing. Unfortunately, Umbreon doesn't have that move in her arsenal. Of all the times where I wished that I had bought that damn TM. Ugh, no point cryin' over spilled milk." He gazed about the battlefield again and spotted something that could turn the tide in his favour: a mid-sized boulder that was slanted at a 45-degree angle. "That could work."

Just as Leon concluded his examination of the combat zone, Will gave out his next command. "Give that Umbreon another Quick Attack."

Like she did before, Flareon charged at her opponent, keeping her body low to the ground to reduce air resistance and increase the magnitude of impact.

"Use that boulder behind you, Umbreon!" Leon instructed steadfastly.

Though her Trainer's instruction was a bit on the vague side, Umbreon knew exactly what he wanted her to do. Picking herself up, she back-flipped upwards and planted her hind feet on the surface of the boulder. She then accumulated some energy into her hind legs by bending them slightly and launched herself over her assailant.

Will caught on to Leon's plan immediately. "So he's hoping that Flareon crashes into the boulder, huh?" he deduced. "Hmph, not if I have anything to say about it." He quickly shouted, "Agility, Flareon - on the double!"

With only a inch left to spare, Flareon gained a nice burst of speed as she rocketed up to the top of boulder. To onlookers, it looked as though she had teleported there in a flash. Pivoting herself around, the Flame Pokemon leapt off the peak of the boulder so that she was now hovering over Umbreon. Without awaiting a cue from her Trainer, she raised a paw to strike her adversary.

"Look out, Umbreon!" Leon alerted the Moonlight Pokemon.

The Dark-type Pokemon sensed the urgency in her Trainer's tone and swung her body around so that she facing Flareon in mid-air. The former tried to shield herself from harm but Flareon managed to find an opening in her defence and promptly slammed her right paw into her Dark-type counterpart's stomach. This knocked the wind out of Umbreon as she hurtled downward and collided with the hard ground on her left side; she elicited a whimper of pain.

A golden opportunity presented itself to Will as an upset was on the cards. "Flareon, end it with Fire Blast."

Still up the air, Flareon took a deep breath as red-yellow fire started to seep out of her mouth. She then released a powerful stream of flames at her opponent. As it got closer and closer to Umbreon, the front of the stream of fire formed into a star-shaped blast.

Despite staring at an imminent defeat, Leon remained cool and collected as he calmly ordered, "Use Counter, Umbreon."

This admirable trait of Leon's was reflected in Umbreon as well as she slowly got back onto her feet. Eyeing the approaching torrent of flames from the corner of her eye, she took in a big intake of air before she started humming. On cue, her body became outlined in orange and just in time too as Flareon's attack came into contact with her. Instead of engulfing her in an inferno, the attack was sent flying back to the Flame Pokemon.

Will's eyes widened at the unexpected turn of events. "Brace yourself, Flareon!" he yelled.

Flareon only had time to curl up into a ball before the Fire Blast scored a hit on her, resulting in a big blast. A giant sphere of black smoke hung in the air as the three living entities on the ground stared up at it with bated breath, pondering on the fate of the Pokemon trapped within it. Suddenly, a wheel of fire shot down from under the cloud of smoke and struck the battlefield. It spun on the spot for a brief moment before the flames dissipated to reveal a fairly undamaged Flareon. On a side note, her body was emitting a reddish glow for brief a moment before it subsided completely.

"Eh, Will's Flareon doesn't seem to have suffered any damage at all," Leon whispered in slight confusion. "How's that possible? Even though it's resistant to Fire-based attacks, that Fire Blast should've at least inflicted some superficial damage." After quickly listing all the facts about the Fire-type Eeveelution in his head, understanding finally dawned upon him. Glancing towards Will, Leon mouthed, "Flash Fire."

A smile descended upon Will's features. "Spot-on, my man," he confirmed. "Flash Fire makes the user immune to Fire-based attacks and the first it's activated, it enhances the power of the user's Fire-based moves by a factor of two." Scratching his head lightly, he absentmindedly murmured, "I know that I'm weaker at Pokemon battling but are you sure you want to be giving me handicaps? It doesn't make me feel good at all."

Leon half-heartedly glared at his opponent and softly grumbled, "He's still adamant about that? Doesn't he realize that his performance so far has done nothing but proven the exact opposite?" The Hoenn native sighed tiredly and ruffled his hair. "In any case, I'm in real trouble here. Flareon has the greatest offence of all the Eeveelutions... and I'm seriously not doing myself any favours by powering it up even more. Wait a minute, that's it." At that moment, he recalled watching the Twinleaf Festival on the LCD TV back home about two years ago. It was a pretty decent tournament but the final match left a big impression on him. In that match, Tower Tycoon Palmer's opponent whom Leon believed to be known as Ash 'Satoshi' Ketchum had his Grotle swallow an Energy Ball. Though it was accidental, it gave the Grotle a boost in power so massive that it pushed Palmer's Rhyperior all the way to the brink before falling to the Drill Pokemon. A grin crossed his face. "Two can play at that game. Umbreon, ready a Shadow Ball!"

Umbreon nodded and opened her maw to begin prepping the Ghost-based move.

"Oh, no you don't!" Will interjected. "Flame Charge, Flareon!"

Just like she did, she stomped her front legs onto the earth and encompassed herself in flames before surging towards Umbreon. Speaking of Umbreon, she had already finished preparing her Shadow Ball the moment Flareon launched her attack.

"Swallow it, Umbreon!" Leon shouted passionately. "Then counter with Shadow Claw."

Despite feeling a bit apprehensive, Umbreon had faith in her Trainer's plan so she duly complied with it. She swiftly snapped her jaws closed around the ball of malicious energy and gulped it down. She felt it burst into many particles which infused into her aura coils and gave her a much needed spike in both power and energy. The impact of this unorthodox tactic also showed externally as her body took on an ethereal, purplish glow. Umbreon had no time to revel in the powerful feeling she was feeling though as Flareon was closing in fast. She swiftly held out her left paw to the side and coated it with dark energy; three claws then erupted from her energy-coated paw, signifying the completion of the attack. Umbreon pulled it back before she swung it at the fire-cloaked Flareon.

***SLAM***

What came from the concussion of the attacks was a fairly big shockwave which shook the surrounding area. The multiple Pidove flying off the trees and into the sky accentuated this fact. Flareon and Umbreon exerted everything they had to gain control of the battle. Just when it looked like Umbreon was winning the clash, Flareon brought them back to a stalemate and vice versa. The Fire-type Eeveelution decided that she had had enough and began to push Umbreon back with all her might. Umbreon gritted her teeth and dug her feet deep into the ground but she still found herself getting inched backwards bit by bit.

"Come on, Umbreon!" Leon urged her. "You are Ranger-trained Pokemon. Show 'em your Ranger pride!"

Umbreon found the time to huff and roll her eyes despite being pressured by her opponent. She loved her Trainer dearly but she simply could not stand his mutterings of 'the Ranger pride'. The Moonlight Pokemon almost always ended up with a headache every time Leon droned on and on about it. However, she agreed with him on one matter: she was a Ranger-trained Pokemon, and she would show their opponents her resolve. With her heart set on that, she siphoned a large portion of the energy she received from consuming the Shadow Ball into the Shadow Claw; the purple flames that erupted from the claw symbolized the amount of power the Shadow Ball had gifted her. With a passionate growl, she pushed against Flareon with all her might, the purple flames resonating with her determination. Persevering greatly, she finally managed to swing the Shadow Claw in a full arc and cancel out Flareon's fire cloak in an instant.

Will's eyes widened in disbelief. "N-No way."

"Yes!" Leon exuberantly exclaimed. "This is your chance, Umbreon. Don't waste it."

She did not need to be told twice as she swung the blunt side of the Shadow Claw - the flames had been cancelled out together with Flareon's Flame Charge - into the gut of the staggered Flareon, causing the latter to hunch forwards. Umbreon wordlessly removed the Shadow Claw from Flareon's gut and slammed it onto her Fire-type counterpart's chin, launching her slightly into the air and exposing her abdomen. The Dark-type Pokemon then deftly dispelled the Shadow Claw, jumped backwards and shot a Shadow Ball at the Flame Pokemon. The Ghost-based move exploded upon contact with Flareon and sent her tumbling backwards until she ended up about five feet from where her Trainer was standing.

"Flareon..." Will did not went to his Pokemon but instead crouched down. Despite his concern for her, he would not interfere until he was sure that she could not continue on with the fight. "You okay, girl?"

His soothing voice stirred Flareon awake. Slowly, she adjusted her body's position and strained herself to stand up. She stumbled a few times but she refused to throw in the towel. Her tenacity finally yielded success as she accomplished the strenuous feat of standing up. Satisfied, she fell down on her rump, panting heavily.

The Flame Pokemon had given Will her answer as the human shuffled closer to her. The Unova native scratched behind her left ear, eliciting a tired purr from Flareon. Glancing over at Leon, he announced, "You win."

Leon nodded in understanding and petted his Umbreon before returning her back into her Poke Ball. He then ambled over to Will who was now cradling Flareon in his arms. "That was a nice battle," Leon said. "If I had not reacted the way I did, you would've won."

Will shook his head. "Unlikely," he disagreed with Leon's view. "Though it may seem that I could've clinched victory there, it was truly never within my grasp. We never had a chance."

"But your Flareon performed admirably there," Leon interjected. "Shouldn't you have more faith in its ability?"

"It's not about having faith in her, it's about being realistic," Will replied. "I don't train my Pokemon that often. When I do, it's usually to help out with my sister's training. Now, I'm sure that you're thinking that Flareon's performance would serve as a good counter-argument to my own claim so I'll just explain why that point is irrelevant." He swallowed before he continued, "Flareon always had a talent for battling ever since she was a young Eevee. That's why she showcased some brilliant battle sense back there. However, I never took the time to back up her talent with hard work because I just don't possess the drive to do so. Thankfully, Flareon accepted me for who I am." He added, "She's too kind for battles anyway."

"I see," Leon murmured. "Anyway, about what we've agreed upon..."

The pale-skinned teen smirked lightly at Leon. "I put the Remoraid meat in one of your shopping bags before the battle commenced," he informed Leon. "I've also included something else in there. Consider it as an apology for troubling you."

Leon pulled his lips inward. He was rather hesitant in accepting Will's gift. "Is it really okay?"

"Don't worry," Will assured him. "I have five of 'em to spare. It's no trouble, really."

"...Okay," the brown-eyed Pokemon Ranger sighed. "Thanks, I guess."

Will responded with a nod and turned his back to Leon. "Hope you enjoy the Remoraid meat and my little gift." With that said, he went over to the bench where he had left his shopping bags and left the area with them.

The Pokemon Ranger stared at Will's departing form for a while before he traipsed over to his own shopping bags. Feeling curious, he dug into one of them and pulled out a very unusual item. He did not remember putting the thing in his shopping basket so he guessed that Will must've put it there.

"...What is this?" Leon wondered. "It's not anything that I've seen before."

* * *

"So that's why?" Seishirou queried.

When Leon got back to Seishirou's place, Seito had led him back to the room where he and Seishirou had their discussion. There, Seishirou mentioned that three hours had passed since Leon left the house and inquired as to why he took so long to accomplish his task. Already weary after the day's events, Leon tiredly recalled them to Seishirou.

"...Yeah," Leon confirmed. "That's why. I'm sorry."

Seishirou absentmindedly took a drag off his cigarette and set it down on the ash tray. "Apologies aren't necessary in this case," he told Leon. "I wouldn't have minded if you did not bring back any Remoraid meat, you know. I know of their rarity around these parts so that's why I did not bold them like the other items on the list."

Leon found the ground more interesting to look at. "It's just... this is my first day on the job as your assistant. I... didn't want to make a bad impression on you."

"You're really that worried about what others think of you?" Seishirou asked, receiving a nod from the Hoenn native. He sighed. "Listen, Strife-kun. The world is harsh, there's no point in denying that. However, humans are capable of being forgiving when it is required of them so don't be afraid about leaving behind bad impressions. If you're really sincere, then you should seek to better yourself... because that's all you can do, okay?"

A hint of a smile appeared on Leon's face. "Okay," he replied softly. "I appreciate the advice."

Sensing that the negativity surrounding his part-timer had dissipated, Seishirou moved on to other topic. He randomly uttered, "To be honest, I didn't expect you to come back with the Remoraid meat but you've proven me wrong. Therefore, you deserve a prize."

The Pokemon Ranger groaned and gazed pleadingly at his employer. "Do I really have to accept it?"

"It's considered rude to not accept compensation from someone who's sincere," Seishirou responded evenly.

Leon's shoulders sagged forward. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "What do I get?"

Seishirou held up a hand. "I didn't say that I would be giving it to you now," he said. "Take your mind off it by making dinner, 'kay?"

"What?" Leon shouted without warning. It was as if all the aching in his bones had left him. "Why do I have to cook dinner? Isn't it supposed to be my welcoming party?"

"Even though that's true, I didn't say who was going to be doing the cooking so I decided to let you do it," Seishirou countered mirthfully. "I want some Tynamo sashimi for the first course and grilled Remoraid with roasted corn and red pepper salsa for the second course."

The younger of the two teens gaped like a Magikarp. He raised a finger and pointed it at Seishirou. "Don't you go making orders as if I'm your waiter," Leon growled. "Do you have an idea how hard it is to make sashimi and how long it takes to prepare the second dish? You are being extremely unfair, you... you slave driver!"

Seishirou took all of Leon's complaints in stride with a smirk on his face. "In order," he began, "you are my assistant so you should have no trouble accepting my orders, I do realize how hard it is to make sashimi because I've done it before, I don't care how long it takes, life is generally unfair and yes, I'm proud to be your slave driver." The sapphire-eyed teen then raised a hand and made a 'shooing' motion. "Get to it, then."

Coming to the realization that he could not win the argument, Leon simply gritted his teeth and turned away from Seishirou. He literally stomped to the _shōji _doors and slid them open but he did not step out of room. He stood like a statue for a whole minute before he turned around, put on his best mean look and faced his employer. Unbeknownst to Leon, Seishirou merely saw a cute pout.

The enigmatic teen tilted his head in innocent fashion. "Yes?"

Leon clicked his tongue and looked away from Seishirou. He grounded out, "I don't know where the kitchen is."

Snorting slightly, Seishirou idly took another puff of his cigarette. All of a sudden, the smoke that he blew out morphed into the shape of a Butterfree which fluttered on the spot.

"H-How did you do that?" Leon questioned as he gazed at the Butterfree in awe.

"I didn't," Seishirou said. "I just blew out the essence, the house did all the rest. Many of my grandmother's houses, including this one, are fairly sentient and are initially wary of strangers, hence the labyrinth-like interior. You've been here for some time so the house has grown accustomed to your presence. It sensed that you bore no ill will towards me or Seito, thus eliminating the need for it to activate its self-defence mechanism. From this point onward, or at least until you leave the kitchen, the hallways shall become easier to navigate through."

A sigh of relief was expelled from Leon's lungs. His employer did not realize how glad Leon felt about not having to traverse that web-like network of hallways again. Just like that, he had forgotten all about his anger towards Seishirou. The Butterfree chose that exact moment to flutter out of the room. That small detail did not escape Leon's notice as he moved to follow it.

"Dinner will be ready soon, boss," Leon articulated happily as he jogged after the Butterfree-shaped smoke.

"Funny how a sense of normality could evoke happiness in some beings," Seishirou soliloquized as he poured himself a cup of sake. Just before he could take a sip of the soothing beverage, the moment of serenity was shattered.

_"So, that's yer new helper, huh?" _a familiar, loud and abrasive voice commented.

The right corner of Seishirou's lips twitched upwards to form a fake half-smile as he set his stereoscopic vision straight ahead. "Aqua," he greeted the Buizel in a _very _warm tone. "Nice to see you."

_"Hey, ya doin' alright there?" _she worriedly asked. She sensed something strange about the way Seishirou greeted her. It left her feeling slightly apprehensive for him and herself.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he dismissed her worries almost too quickly for her liking. He decided to involve himself in a bit of small talk with the Buizel before moving on to the main event. "What do you think of him? Strife-kun, I mean."

Aqua turned her head to the direction where Leon had followed the scout. _"The kid?"_ she mused._ "Well, he's alright, I guess. Though, I sense that he's sufferin' some sorta emotional turmoil or somethin' like that. He tries to forget 'bout it but it always comes back to haunt him, just like when he was conversin' with yer little bro. For his sake, I hope he confronts his demons soon. He can't keep going on like this."_

"As observant as ever," Seishirou commended her in a _sweet _tone.

The Sea Weasel Pokemon inwardly shuddered. A little voice in her head told her that she should run but she quickly snuffed it out. _"Alright, what da hell is wrong with ya?" _Aqua questioned him again. _"This small talk and all these compliments ya keep giving me, it's scaring the crap outta me."_

"It's just the sake," Seishirou replied instantly. "You know that I get a little giddy if I drink too much."

Seishirou's Pokemon was not entirely convinced but she decided to give him a benefit of doubt. _"If ya say so," _she responded warily as she stepped inside the room. _"So whatcha wanna talk 'bout? Caedes told me that-"_

***THUMP***

***RATTLE* *RATTLE* *RATTLE* *RATTLE***

Those sounds froze Aqua solid. Mentally, she was berating herself for not following her voice of reason. Slowly rotating her head to glance over her shoulder, she was shocked to discover that the _shōji _doors were barricaded with electrified chains.

"Aqua," Seishirou called out to her.

She didn't want to, but she knew that she had to. Aqua turned her head back to its original position, and immediately wished that she had not done so. Her Trainer was coated in a very sinister aura and his spectacles were flashed white. Plus, she was convinced that she saw a purple, spectral demon floating behind him.

"Y-Yes?" the Buizel stammered weakly.

"Let us discuss," he whispered as a baleful smile made its presence known to Aqua, "about that 'talk' you had with Seito earlier."

_"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

* * *

Miles away in Eterna Forest, an Umbreon yawned as he awakened from his short nap. He had the appearance of an average, everyday Umbreon save for the tuft of snow-white above his left eye. It did not mean he was special in any way; it merely reflected his seniority age-wise. Sauntering over to a nearby lake, he lowered his head into the lake until his muzzle touched the surface of the water and began taking a few gulps of the fresh water. His thrist sated, he pulled back from the water's edge and sat down on his haunches. From the corner of his eye, he saw a couple of Floatzel teaching a young-looking Buizel how to swim. A gentle breeze blew by, gently caressing the fur on his body. He then shut his eyes and took a long, deep breath before receding into his mind.

Five seconds later, Noctis opened his eyes and stifled a chuckle. _"You reap what you sow, Aqua. You reap what you sow."_

* * *

Seishirou slipped the last sliver of his grilled Remoraid into his mouth, relishing the taste as he scooped up the last bit of his red pepper salsa to join it. He chewed and mixed the food with his tongue as he idly examined the pieces of silverware in his hands. Swallowing the mass of food, he washed down any leftover residue sticking along his oesophagus with a cup of koshu sake.

"Was my food... up to your expectations?" Leon, whose new additions to his clothing included an apron and a bandana, asked nervously. He was sitting opposite his employer with his legs folded, tightly gripping a wooden tray. Up until that point, the only person who had experience tasting his food was his mother. She always said that it delicious but Leon always thought that she was saying that just to keep his spirits up. Looking at Seishirou, he doubted that the bespectacled teen would sugarcoat any comment regarding his cooking skills so he was prepared for any criticism Seishirou had for him.

Resting his chin on the back of his palms, Seishirou fixed Leon with a penetrating gaze. "No, it was not up to my expectations, not even close," he harshly criticized his part-timer.

Leon pressed the tray tightly against his chest and cast his eyes downward. Though he somewhat anticipated it, he felt as though his heart had been stabbed with a knife. He loved to cook ever since his mother introduced him to the world of cooking when he was a little boy. He found it relaxing and a great way to relieve stress accumulated from hours of carrying out his Ranger duties. A few tears threatened to fall from his eyes as his body started to quiver with overwhelming sadness.

"Hey, it's too soon to start crying," Seishirou stated, making Leon look up at him with watery eyes. "You didn't let me finish." The Ranger sucked in a sharp breath when Seishirou smiled at him. "It actually exceeded my expectations. You're a good cook, Strife-kun. Granted, you're not up to my level of skill yet but you shouldn't let that bring you down. You'll have lots of opportunities to improve yourself while you're here."

A subtle blush tinted Leon's cheeks. He sheepishly scratched his head and shyly murmured, "Thanks. I'm... glad you enjoyed your meal."

"You're welcome," Seishirou hummed in a relaxed manner. The room was devoid of any sound save for the one evoked from the transfer of sake from its flask to a cup. "The night is still young so-" He intentionally delayed from continuing to take a sip of the alcoholic beverage. "-I'm up from a little chat. When did you discover the wonderful world of cooking, Strife-kun?"

The corporal-ranked Pokemon Ranger was all too eager to share that part of his past with Seishirou. He always felt out of place amongst his comrades since he was worried that they wouldn't find cooking all that interesting of a topic to talk about but with Seishirou who shared a common interest with him, Leon felt a little more outgoing. "Well," he began timidly, "when I was kid, I didn't have a lot of friends. It's not that I was shy or anything like that, I was just... not as lively as the other kids in the neighbourhood. They avoided me because I was different so I ended up staying indoors most of the time. I would just laze about and read books all day long. I would've ended up wearing glasses had Mum not intervened and replaced the books with cooking utensils. That's when I became interested in cooking... and I've forever grateful to her."

Seishirou chuckled, "Remind me to send your mother a congratulatory note for contributing to the decay of the stereotype that males can't cook."

Leon sweatdropped. That sounded weird, even for his employer. He did not know Seishirou managed to say all that with a straight face. "Erm, alright then." His eyes then widened as he remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. I have somethin' for desert." The brown-eyed promptly reached behind him and pulled out the item he received from Will.

The bespectacled adolescent raised an eyebrow. He saw a big, yellow star-shaped fruit; big, in a sense that it was as wide as the entire width of Leon's body - discounting his arms - and it shielded his entire chest. The topmost edge had two leaves growing out of it. "Where did you get that?"

His employee cast his gaze down at the fruit. "Spoils of battle, I guess," Leon answered. Tilting the fruit from side to side, Leon said, "I don't know how to serve this actually. I contemplated on cutting it into smaller pieces but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the proportions right." When the older teen asked for the fruit, Leon gave it to him without question.

Adjusting his glasses, Seishirou scrutinized the fruit from top to bottom. "The name escapes me," he mumbled in frustration, "but I recall my grandmother telling me about the legend behind this fruit."

"Legend?" Leon got a nod from Seishirou.

"If memory serves me correct, she told me that if two people were to share the fruit, then fate would intertwine their ribbons of destiny together." Seishirou then shrugged. "I could be wrong at some parts but that's how I recalled that particular memory."

"Do you think it's true?"

"Only one way to find," Seishirou replied tersely, gently biting into the fruit. As he pulled away, some of the fruit's flesh tore away from the piece and slid down his chin, trailing juices along his throat. He chewed thoughtfully, an unreadable expression on his face.

Leon, curious, asked, "Is it any good?"

Seishirou merely took another bite of the fruit before handing it over to Leon. Just as the Hoenn native was about to indulge in it, Seishirou informed him, "I think it only works if you bite where I've bitten it."

The eighteen-year-old Pokemon Ranger mutely followed his employer's instructions as he brought the fruit - specifically the part of the fruit that had Seishirou's bite marks - closer to his mouth and sank his teeth into its flesh. Juice spilled out, most of it making its way down the apron he was wearing as he pulled away from the fruit. Swallowing it, he placed the fruit on the table and stared at Seishirou.

Speaking of Seishirou, he narrowed his eyes at his part-timer; the latter was looking a bit misty-eyed. "How do you feel?" he ventured cautiously.

Without warning, Leon started to giggle creepily. "I feel **great~**," he sighed happily, drawing out the last word. "I feel great, I fleel g-g-g-g-great."

"Damn you," Seishirou hissed, eyeing the fruit on the table with utter contempt.

It was to be a long night for the enigmatic teen as he was unintentionally provided a front row seat to Leon's performance which saw the Ranger display a wide variety of emotions from rage-

"Damn that Commander Flynn!" Leon cursed, banging his fist on the table. "The nerve of that bastard, assigning a mission to me when he knows that I'm on leave from Ranger duty! Thanks to him, I almost died. Well, it's actually my fault as well but most of the blame goes to that piece of crap!" He then directed a heated glare at Seishirou. "And damn you as well! Giving me a task despite knowing that I haven't fully-recovered yet! You and him are the same! You guys deserve each other! I hate him! I hate you! I hate both of you!"

-to giddiness-

"Hey, didya hear, didya hear, didya hear?" Leon asked, positively skittish. "The latest expansion pack to the military science-fiction real-time strategy game 'StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty' is ninety-nine per cent complete. I can't wait to play that game. Sarah Kerrigan is my favourite character in the series, next to Jim Raynor of course. I wanna expand my zerg army, kill Arcturus Mengsk, defeat the protoss/zerg hybrids, kill Arcturus Mengsk and get all the achievements on hard mode. Oh, did I mention that I want to kill Arcturus Mengsk? I hate that bastard."

-to sadness-

"Why does my brother hate me so much?" Leon pondered aloud, bawling his eyes out. "I've done nothing wrong. I told him that I wanna be a Pokemon Ranger just like him so I worked my butt off at the Ranger School. I expected him to be proud of me, but instead he rebukes me for joining the Pokemon Ranger Corps. Why did he say that? What did I do wrong? I wanna bury the hatchet but he just ignores me. Why does he hate me? Why? Why? Why?"

-to _extreme_ longing.

"You know, I never realized how attractive you are," Leon whispered dreamily as he crawled over to Seishirou. "The girl... or guy who manages to court you would be extremely lucky." Oblivious to the intense glare that was directed to him, Leon bashfully continued, "I wish that you can give me a chance. People always mistake me for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old, probably because of my youthful appearance. I don't think that's a bad thing. You like young boys, don't you? I'm pretty cute as well, don't you think?" Seeing Seishirou's stern expression, Leon high level of self-esteem went into freefall. "Nah, I'm too much of a whiner and crybaby for your taste." As if to emphasize the latter adjective, he started crying again. "I'm even unlucky when it comes to my love life."

Seishirou silently prayed for the horror to stop. He did not know how long he could hold out. Luckily for him, Arceus answered his prayers as Leon passed out, leaning against his right arm. Noticing the juice leaking from the fruit, Seishirou ran his left index finger along a puddle of the juice and licked the tip of the finger. The nineteen-year-old then glanced at Leon's flushed face.

"I guess you don't handle alcohol very well, do you?"

* * *

The sapphire-eyed young adult carefully laid Leon onto the futon and slowly lowered his head onto the pillow. "Remind me to never allow you to accept strange-looking fruit from strangers again," he quipped lightly as he good-naturedly ruffled Leon's hair. "Oh, almost forgot about your gift."

Seishirou reached behind him and produced a Pokemon Egg. It was predominantly grey and black in colour with red jagged stripes going around the latitudes of the egg. He promptly uncurled the fisted fingers of his right hand, revealing a small yin yang ball which was not only glowing blue but hovering over his palm as well. Bringing it closer to the egg, the ball slowly sunk into the egg without breaking its shell, causing it to glow brightly. Once the light died down, the egg had a different appearance. While the grey and black colours remained present, the jagged stripes were now electric blue and there were strange red markings between the stripes. Feeling satisfied, he placed the Pokemon Egg beside Leon and draped a thick blanket over them.

"You've been quite a handful today, Strife-kun," Seishirou remarked as he made his way to the door. He chanced a look over his shoulder and smiled slightly when he saw that Leon had subconsciously pulled the Pokemon Egg closer to his body. Shaking his head, Seishirou finally step out of the guest room and left his employee to his rest.

The smile lingered on his face as he walked along the corridor. If he went back to the moment he found Leon, he would not change anything. He had his own fair share of regrets but saving Leon's life was definitely not one of them.

* * *

**Alright, I'm finally done. After this, the attention shall switch back to the tournament. Hope the mock battle in this chapter was a good appetizer for you guys.**

**You may have noticed that Seishirou is a bit special in a sense that he has some unique talents. Well, those talents are simply what they are, talents. He won't use them to gain an unfair advantage in the tournament nor does he use them all that often. He's not some almighty guy who has the power to kill the legendaries or change the world. While we are on the subject, Seishirou is only capable of manifesting and manipulating Aura to a small extent. He can't form an Aura Sphere. These talents won't have a major impact on the story. In this sense, Seishirou is merely an 'observer', not a 'saviour'.**

**Regarding the scene with Aqua, the house simply trapped her in an illusion. It's fairly sentient after all.**

**Leon Strife belongs to Soldier of the Future.**

**Will Flowers belongs to Will Rune Yagami. **

**It would make my day if you guys can find the time to press that little blue button down there and provide some reviews.**

******Arigatou and sayonara.**


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